


The Inu Kami Tattoo

by Bratist



Series: The Inu Tattoo [2]
Category: InuYasha - A Feudal Fairy Tale
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, BDSM, Biting, Brat, Choking, F/M, Minor Original Character(s) Mentioned, Neck Play, Sexual Content, Slight Humor, Tattoos, Virginity, d/s dynamics
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-13
Updated: 2021-03-20
Packaged: 2021-03-20 23:46:38
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 33,629
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30012801
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bratist/pseuds/Bratist
Summary: Kagome is trapped in her own mind. Worse yet, it's her fifteen-year-old mind. Worse than even that, it's a mind filled with false memories. The wish Kikyou made did worse than simply screw up her budding love life with Sesshoumaru, it reset the entire world. Now Kagome has to figure out how to convince her younger self that she isn't some evil spirit trying to trick her while trying to figure out how to fix all this.Kagome feels like she's going insane. There's a huge tattoo on her back she doesn't remember getting and this voice in her head that claims to be some twenty-seven-year-old version of her. That voice seems determined to get its way no matter the cost. Even when the cost is forcing her to backtalk the terrifying daiyoukai.
Relationships: Higurashi Kagome & InuYasha, Higurashi Kagome/Sesshoumaru
Series: The Inu Tattoo [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2207826
Comments: 10
Kudos: 21





	1. Part One

**Author's Note:**

> This was not beta'd. My sincerest apologies to any fellow grammar nazis who run into mistakes :( I tried.

“ _This isn’t what I wanted. I’m so sorry Kagome,” Kikyou told me, giving me a pleading look. I shook my head, feeling as though my heart was shattering from the betrayal._

“ _Is it not what you asked for though?” I demanded. “You were so scared of losing me! A simple fear you never would have had if you had just tried to accept me and who I am. I’m not you Kikyou. I’ll never be as beautiful or smart or skilled as you. But I never would’ve made such a wish on the jewel.”_

“ _I see that now… Being here as part of your soul has shown me your life from your point of view. They truly were your everything there, weren’t they?”_

_I nodded, giving a sad smile. “When I first arrived in Chicago, I felt so alone and depressed. They cured my loneliness. They helped me work through my depression. None of my stress from daily life mattered in a scene, all that mattered was me and my partner.”_

“ _Will you ever forgive me for the wrong I have done you?” She seemed desperate, as though she couldn’t bare the idea of my hate towards her. I bit my lip and glanced down._

“ _I don’t think I’ll ever be able to forget what you did and what you took from me… You took away my chance for a happy ending._ _Hell, you ignored all the warnings we’d been giving our entire lives and ended up resetting the entire world.” I clenched my fists as tears came unbidden to my eyes. “It will take a while to forgive you. The wound is too fresh. I mean, it’s only been a month since then and it took me that entire month to even gain a bit of freedom in this mind with these memories I’m trapped in.” Her face crumpled and she fell to her knees, softly crying into her hands at my words. Without a second thought, I rushed to her and threw my arms around her in order to hug her tight. “But you’re my sister Kikyou and I love you. Even if I can’t forgive you at this moment, that doesn’t mean the time will never come.” Her arms came around me and she cried into my shoulder. “As misguided as you were… You did it for me. As mad as I am, I could never hate you.” She gave a watery laugh._

“ _I suppose it is punishment enough having to see you pine away after my boyfriend,” she said weakly. I snorted, then shuddered._

“ _Yeah, well… Once I’m totally free from this stupid prison that asshole of a jewel locked me into, that’s the first thing that’s getting fixed. Ugh, why does this chick even want Inuyasha anyway?! He’s my best friend, practically my brother! Almost my brother-in-law for fuck’s sake!”_

“ _I suppose I did wish it that way. The jewel twisted ‘like Inuyasha’ enough for it to_ be _Inuyasha.”_

 _I gave a triumphant smirk. “Then I’ll have no problem falling for Sesshoumaru instead.” Kikyou gave me a confused look. “He is_ _strong, honorable, courageous, and he will protect me. I just need to_ get out _!” I turned my head upwards and glared at the vast nothingness. “You hear me dumbass?! Grow a fucking backbone already! He’s not going to kill you for saying no! Just one instance of putting glitter glue in his tail thing and he’s yours for life! I want to see him! So_ wake up _!”_

Kagome jerked awake, her head pounding. She groaned softly and pressed her hand against her eye where the throbbing was coming from. In the past month, these seemed to be a recurring thing. _Perfect… First, I end up with a weird tattoo on my back and now random migraines._ She sighed and shuffled through her bag to get some painkillers. _And weird dreams about Kikyou I can never really remember._ It felt like her life was going downhill fast.

“Why are you awake miko?” a cool voice asked her. She glanced over to see Sesshoumaru sitting against a tree, watching her carefully. She blinked in surprise and blushed.

“Oh! I’m sorry, did I wake you?” she whispered, trying to keep in mind the other people still attempting to sleep.

“This one was not asleep.” He glanced over her. “Are you cold?”

“No, nothing like that. I don’t really know why I woke up to be honest.” She shrugged and took a couple of pills before deciding without truly deciding to move over to sit beside him.

“Hn.”

“Why aren’t you sleeping?” she asked, her fingers brushing against mokomoko. _Why do I have a sudden urge to go back home and stock up on glitter glue?_ She mentally shook off the odd desire.

“This one does not need as much sleep as humans do.” His eyes slanted her way. “Return to sleep.” He spoke in a way that obviously held no room for arguments. He was not going to be denied.

Kagome opened her mouth to agree with him. He was right, she really should get back to sleep. They had a long journey ahead of them tomorrow and she needed to sleep. However, easy agreement was not what left her lips. “Hell, ever heard of _asking_ asshole?” Her eyes widened and she slapped her hands over her mouth, appalled at herself. _Why would I say that?! It was like I had no control over myself! Am I secretly suicidal?!_

Kagome braced herself to be slaughtered, certain that Sesshoumaru would not take such an insult lightly. When nothing happened, she peeked up at him to see him simply staring down at her. Was that… Amusement in his eyes? She couldn’t quite tell.

“You’re being disrespectful kitten.”

“Then do something about it,” she shot back. _Shut up, shut up!_ He leaned down towards her, his face inches from hers. She couldn’t tear her eyes away from his, even as his clawed hand came up and trailed carefully down her jaw and neck. Longing. That was the emotion that was hidden in his gaze.

“Kitten, I don’t believe you asked for my consent before pulling me into this game of yours,” he stated.

“If you didn’t consent, you could easily walk away.”

“Hn.” Kagome tilted her head up slightly as those claws trailed over her jugular. Nothing else in the world mattered right then. It was just her, Sesshoumaru, and those claws. _What’s happening to me? What’s happening to Sesshoumaru? This isn’t the demon lord I know… And why does he keep calling me kitten?_ “I found you…” His lips brushed against hers.

“Good. Now free me.” With a gasp, Kagome jerked herself away from him. Her face burned and she turned away, shaking from head to toe. The throbbing in her head increased and it almost felt like something was trying to break out of her skull. “Um, you’re right! I should go back to bed! Long trek tomorrow and all!” She forced a laugh and scrambled over to her sleeping bag. She deliberately faced _away_ from Sesshoumaru and wrapped her arms around herself before squeezing her eyes shut.

_He kissed me! Why?! Does this mean I cheated on Inuyasha? Can I cheat on Inuyasha if we’re not technically a couple?_

‘ _Kami you need to calm the hell down. You are seriously freaking me out with these perverted thoughts of my brother.’_ She muffled a squeak at the voice that thumped painfully in her head. It almost sounded like her, but not. Like an older version of herself, but that didn’t make sense. Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru didn’t have a sister… _‘Oh gross! I am_ not _Sesshoumaru’s sister! Oh, this is going to be harder than I thought…’_

_Get out of my head!_

‘ _Technically, you’re the intruder here little missy. Listen, I’ll keep this simple for your prepubescent brain.’_

_I am not prepubescent!_

‘ _Compared to me you are. Look, I’m you. Kind of. My name is Higurashi Kagome and I’m twenty-seven years old. My sister made a foolish wish on the Shikon Jewel and now I’m trapped here in your mind. I, naturally, want out. And you’re going to help me achieve that goal.’_

_I don’t believe you! Prove it!_

‘ _I can’t… Oh, this is going to be_ much _harder than I thought. Kami tell me I wasn’t this irritating when I was fifteen. Actually, thinking back, I was probably worse.’_ The voice almost sounded cheery at the thought of being whatever she considered ‘worse’ than Kagome. _‘How about this? We get Kagura to prove it to you.’_

 _Are you_ trying _to get me killed?! Of course you are… You made me say those things to Sesshoumaru! This has got to be one of Naraku’s schemes!_

‘ _Hey, do you want me to continue taking over every chance I get and making you say things to random people? Because now that I know how I can do it as much as I want! Probably. Just imagine the things I could make you say to Sango or Inuyasha… Or Miroku. Now there’s a fun idea. I bet that’ll get his Dom instincts all fired up! Yeah… Yeah! Alright, new game plan! You’re great for bouncing ideas off of mini-me, thanks! Get some rest, I have a feeling it’s going to be a long day for you tomorrow.’_

_What?! What are you talking about?! What are you going to do!_

‘ _Oh and don’t bother trying to tell anyone about me because I won’t let you. Can’t risk having that stupid jewel figuring things out and strengthening its prison for me.’_

The voice slipped away, no matter how many times Kagome demanded it to answer her, and with it went the migraine thumping behind her eye.

~ ~ ~

The voice wasn’t kidding. It was a _long_ day. Kagome had tried to tell the others about the voice, but it’d made good on its threats. Anytime she opened her mouth to tell someone about it, something else came out instead. The worst instance was with Miroku.

“Miroku, I need your help!” Kagome had said pleadingly, ready to tell the monk all about the voice and hope he knowledge on it.

“Sure Kagome, what’s wrong?” he’d replied, giving her a reassuring smile.

“I need to know what you find the best position to be during sex. I’m nervous about not being able to give as good as I get and since you have so much experience with the topic, I figured you’d be the perfect one to ask!” A dark blush had stained her cheeks. She could feel multiple sets of glares on her. Miroku looked taken aback. But her mouth wouldn’t stop! “Perhaps also some advice on how to get a man’s attention. Obviously not some push-over. I think a woman like me needs to be _tamed_. What do you think Sesshoumaru?”

“This one believes you are deliberately seeking a rise out of someone. Perhaps my half-brother is not keeping you as entertained as you need to be.” Sesshoumaru had then turned his face away from the pair, but not before Kagome noticed a flicker of amusement in his eyes.

 _What do I have to do in order to get you to stop?_ She eventually pleaded to the voice when they took a break in a village. The migraine slowly came back.

‘ _I told you. Find me Kagura. Show her the tattoo. I promise, she won’t hurt you. She might molest you a bit… But she won’t actually harm you!’_

_This is ridiculous. How would I even find Kagura?_

‘ _Oh please, I’ve seen your memories. Naraku always has that woman lurking around nearby. The moment you get away from the group, Kanna will see it in her mirror. She’ll tell Naraku and Naraku will send Kagura to you. Honestly, I’m surprised you guys can’t figure Naraku out. He’s pretty predictable… Which is probably why our relationship didn’t work out…’_

_What?!_

‘ _Oh girl, please. I’ve done a lot of experimenting in my time. Had to find the right clicks in the right way. I’ll give him one thing though, the man does some truly amazing needle play, for a sub. Huh, must be a spider demon thing. Kind of weird seeing him as this super evil guy here. I just cannot get the image of him cuddling that adorable little kitten out of my mind…’_

_I’ll do whatever you want, just please stop speaking about Naraku like that._

‘ _Sweet! Now, let’s get away from the others. Can’t have anyone attempting to kill Kagura before she proves me to you.’_

“Oh!” Kagome suddenly shouted, gaining the attention of the entire group. She pretended to search around in her bag. “I need to go buy some more herbs! Do you guys think the marketplace sells any?”

“Keh, probably. I could smell that store the second we walked through this place,” Inuyasha replied. “Want me to go with you?”

“No, that’s alright. I shouldn’t be too long. You guys finish getting set-up here.” She accepted the money that Sango handed her before flashing everyone a smile.

“This one will accompany you,” Sesshoumaru stated, standing.

“No.” Kagome looked over at him and met his eyes. “Trust me, I can handle myself.” They locked gazed for a few seconds. Kagome didn’t back down. Two days ago and she never would’ve even considered being so firm with the youkai. But the voice had once again taken control of her lips. It didn’t hurt her head as much this time though, probably because Kagome had forced herself to relax and allowed the voice to take control. She knew she would never be able to convince the others that she would be fine on her own, but the voice had this confidence and a slight air of authority.

“As you wish.” Sesshoumaru sat back down, giving a slight incline of his head. With that settled, Kagome turned and left the hut.

~ ~ ~

Sesshoumaru wasn’t certain what the miko was up to. It most certainly was not to go purchase any herbs. He could clearly smell the abundance of herbs in her pack. But when she spoke, he could tell it wasn’t the fifteen-year-old miko who spoke. It was the twenty-seven-year-old brat. Which made him all the more suspicious.

‘ _Trust her. She wouldn’t do anything reckless that would place herself in harm’s way.’_ His other self informed him.

_It is fairly difficult to place trust in one who plots constantly and seeks to cause mischief wherever she goes. Why do you not allow this one to follow her?_

‘ _Because she asked. Did you not see it in her eyes when she looked at us?’_

_Hn. It’d be much easier to reclaim her if you allowed this one to simply act._

‘ _That is your beast talking. Do try to control yourself a bit better. I can’t believe I used to be this compulsive when I was your age…’_

_She is begging to be chased. You saw it last night, she pleaded for it. And yet, you did not allow this one to act upon it._

‘ _She has to deal with the same thing we do. However, she is not a youkai like we are. Her mind is unable to easily comprehend two different personalities living in harmony in her mind. So she has to ensure the safety of her own mind until she is completely free.’_

_So we may not take her until then, for her mental state?_

‘ _Precisely. Even I’m not completely free. Otherwise, we wouldn’t be conversing like this. We’d simply be one.’_

_If she does not return in ten minutes, this one will go retrieve her._

‘ _If she doesn’t return in five, I’ll let you.’_

_~ ~ ~_

‘ _Okay, now clear your mind. Take a deep breath and feel inside yourself.’_ Kagome did as the voice asked, kneeling in the small clearing just outside the village. _‘Allow your reiki to come forth. It is a part of you. You do not require an arrow to unleash it.’_ Kagome gave a slight nod, feeling just a bit of that mystical power sitting in her chest. _‘Imagine a bubble around yourself. You are protected. None may harm you. None may track you. You are scentless. You are protected. Let your energy spill into the barrier.’_ With a gasp, Kagome allowed her reiki to flow free. A barrier appeared around herself, soft and blue. She grinned at it, feeling proud for being able to erect one. She’d never been able to tap into her spiritual powers like this before. With a satisfied nod, she stood and continued on her way.

_So, why did we erect this barrier?_

‘ _Multiple reasons. First, we don’t want to risk being attacked on the way there. We are currently without our weapon as we’d have not been able to explain taking our bow and arrows with us. Secondly, if Kagura attacks before she sees the tattoo, we want to make sure she can’t harm us. She’d never forgive herself afterward if she even so much as scratched us. Finally, I know those assholes are only going to wait so long before trying to find us. Kagura needs to be able to find us first.’_

 _How do you know so much about reiki? Were you a priestess or something?_ What sounded like a laugh rang through Kagome’s head.

‘ _A priestess? Kami no! But I was raised as one. I did grow up at the Higurashi Shrine. Though, my shrine and my family are a bit different from yours. We had to keep up with our training in order to keep the jewel safe. My sister was always better at the miko bit than I was, but I wasn’t a slouch either.’_

 _Ever think that maybe you’re just a bit confused? Maybe you’re just the soul of some departed priestess who latched onto my body and you’re confusing yourself with my memories._ The voice didn’t respond. Kagome couldn’t tell if it was because it was considering that possibility or—more than likely—it had simply deemed not to bother replying to such a foolish idea. Kagome was quickly figuring out just how stubborn it could be.

After about an hour of walking, she reached an open clearing filled with wildflowers.

‘ _Here. This will work. When Kagura shows up, allow me to speak please.’_ Kagome sighed, but agreed. She held on tight to the knowledge that she could wrestle control back from the voice if need be. She did it last night. If the voice attempted to give Kagura any insider information on her friends, she would stop it.

The wait wasn’t long. As the voice predicted, Kagura appeared with her fan flicked open and a bored expression on her face.

“Alone in the woods? What? Did you fight with the hanyou?” she asked, letting out a sigh.

“Kagura! I’ve missed you. I know you don’t remember anything right now, but I need you to do me a favor and look at my back,” the voice said for Kagome. It sounded happy. Like Kagura was a friend it hadn’t seen in years. Kagura simply looked confused and annoyed.

“Did you hit your head or something?” She scowled. “I’m not here to play games.”

“You used to love our games,” the voice teased. _‘Take your shirt off and turn around. Now!’_ Kagome blinked but found herself instantly obeying.

“What are you doing?” Kagura glared and thrust her fan towards Kagome, blades of wind striking the barrier. Then Kagome dropped her shirt and turned around, pulling her hair over her shoulder. “What is that? Ah!” Kagome quickly glanced over her shoulder to see Kagura gripping her head with a pained look on her face.

_What’s happening to her?!_

‘ _Her memories are returning. Kagura and I had a close connection and her youkai nature allows her some leeway. Whereas Sango’s mind cannot handle a sudden influx of memories all at once, youkai are different. The things I’ve learned about beings I didn’t believe existed in the past month is truly amazing.’_

_What are you talking about?!_

‘ _Well, I never believed demons existed before. I figured they were a simple fairy tale. I had no idea Kagura was a demon before ending up here. I wonder why she never told me.’_

Kagura fell to her knees, breathing heavily. She stared at the ground. Kagome slowly turned back to face her, reaching down to lift her shirt.

“Why hide my favorite features?” Kagura asked, sounding breathless. “What happened? Why was I trapped inside that prison of this mind? Why are we in the feudal era and in Japan for that matter?”

“You never told me you were a youkai,” the voice said before Kagome could bother getting a word out. “I think that indiscretion deserves depriving you view of my gorgeous tits.” Kagura looked up with a pained expression. Kagome quickly tugged her shirt back on, feeling almost like she was interrupting a private moment.

“Demons are not exactly a welcome race in our world Kitten. You never told me that you were a miko either, so fair’s fair.” She groaned. “Fuck, this is frustrating. This Kagura keeps trying to yank control back. She thinks this is a strange miko trick.”

“Yeah, well this Kagome thinks this is a wicked Naraku plot. So welcome to the pain train. I need you to tell me when we first met and what our relationship is like. Force the memory to live in your head so your Kagura can see it. I’ll chip in occasionally so both ends know we’re not bullshitting.” Kagura nodded firmly.

“We met at the club.”

“The BDSM club.”

“Called Dragon’s Mantle. You’re a sub and I’m a sub. We’re good friends.”

“We’re both brats to be a bit more specific.”

“You were nineteen at the time and I was posing as twenty-one. Clearly, I was much older than that. It was in Chicago. I moved there sometime during World War One I think. We’d both been members of the club for a couple of months and were still getting to know the other regulars. One night, we decided to combine forces.”

“And prank Sango’s toy bag.”

“I’m pretty sure Hojo’s bag got hit as well. It was our way of trying to break the ice with the two big guys on campus. I’d been dying to play with Sango and you wanted to play with Hojo.”

“We ended up covering all of Sango’s rope with bondage tape. The goal wasn’t to ruin it after all. It was merely to get her attention.”

“And Hojo’s paddles were drawn on with sparkly pink sharpie.”

“Our plan succeeded, but not in the way we expected it to. We definitely got the attention of the two, but Sango punished you.”

“And Hojo punished you.” Kagura gave a smirk.

“And yet, for whatever reason, they decided we were interesting enough to befriend. They seemed to enjoy our antics.”

“We definitely caused a lot of mayhem there.”

As the two went back and forth, the picture was forced into Kagome’s mind. It was hazy, almost like it was truly a memory, but everything matched up perfectly. It seemed insane. It felt insane. This couldn’t be real. This didn’t make any sense. Kagura suddenly let out a relieved breath and straightened, the pain completely gone from her face.

“It worked,” she said. “She… I accepted the truth. I’m free, finally free.” Kagome’s lips opened for the voice to speak again, but this time Kagome broke through.

“No!” she screamed, clutching at her head. “No! This is what you meant by wanting to get free?! You don’t want to be free from my body, you want complete control! No, I won’t allow it! Get out!” Kagura’s eyes widened as Kagome’s barrier fell and the miko collapsed on the ground.

‘ _It’s not like that! Fuck, you aren’t even technically real! We’re the same person! Stop fighting, you’re hurting yourself!’_

“Get out!”

“Kagome!” Kagura rushed to the girl’s side and pulled her tightly into her arms, eyes frantically searching her face. “Shit! Hold on!” A feather was plucked from her hair and the pair were suddenly flying through the skies.

“No!” Kagome shoved at the wind demon, trying to get free. The feather tipped precariously.

‘ _Are you trying to get us killed?! Stop struggling unless you want to fall to your death!’_

“No! This is part of Naraku’s scheme to take control of me and gain access to my eyes!” It felt like her mind was shattering. Like it was splitting in two. Random memories were spinning through her head, things that she knew she didn’t live through. Memories that were not her own. It wasn’t right! She needed to get free!

She shoved firmly at Kagura one last time, falling through the edge of the feather and plummeting towards the ground.

~ ~ ~

“ _Grandpa!” I called out, excitement littering my voice. My eyes were bright and sparkling as I watched the older man climb up the last step. My hand waved excitedly towards him. A huge grin was on my face. “Grandpa! You’re home!” I laughed as I ran toward him. He gave me a tired smile before reaching down to scoop me up into his arms, holding me tight._

“ _Hello, my darling little bird. What have you been up to?”_

_The sound of a hospital monitor filled my ears as I stood beside his bed, trying to force back tears. My big, strong grandpa. The strongest man I ever knew. Wasting away in a hospital room. My fingers curled around his frail hand as he struggled to breathe, even with the ventilator._

“ _Grandpa…” I whispered softly. “Grandpa, come home…” I could feel the gaze of my mother and siblings on me as they waited for me to finish saying my goodbyes in the hallway. But I didn’t want to say goodbye yet. I wasn’t ready. I would never be ready._

“ _It’ll be alright…” he gasped out, forcing that kind smile on his face once more. “I’ll be better in no time. My darling little bird needs her rest though, so you should go home and get that rest.”_

“ _How could I sleep if you’re not at home to tell me a story?” I asked, my voice cracking. I rubbed a hand across my cheeks, not wanting him to see me cry. His eyes crinkled instead._

“ _Just listen to the wind pushing through the trees. They’ll be there to tell you the story. You can pretend that it’s me.”_

“ _I don’t want to pretend… I want my grandpa.” His hand weakly squeezed my fingers._

“ _I know little bird… I know.”_

_Rain drenched me as I stood in front of his grave; the weather sharing in my grief. He died so young. I would never get him back. I felt like my name suggested, a bird in a cage. Locked away from the one person who I always felt truly saw me as perfect just the way I was._

_I held completely still as the tattoo artist began the linework for my tattoo. As he worked, I simply recalled the story Grandpa had used to tell me about the Inu Kami that watched over the Higurashi family. The one who had supposedly saved my grandpa when he was a young boy. Grandpa always described the benevolent god as one who protected mikos, as shown by the bow it always carried in its mouth. I hoped the tattoo would bring a little bit of that protection blessing upon me. And even if it didn’t, it was the best way I could think of to always have my grandpa with me. Even if it was just a piece of him._

_I was laughing with Kagura when Kikyou made the call. Kagura and I were at the club, drinking and sharing stories of our day._

“ _Hey Kikyou,” I greeted. “What’s up?”_

“ _Mother was recently in a bad car accident,” Kikyou said softly. I froze, everything around me going silent. “She’s in critical condition. The doctors don’t think she has long left…” I heard sobbing on the other end. “I-I can’t do this alone, Kagome. I can’t!” I forced myself to speak, to take on the role of the older sister despite being the younger one._

“ _I’ll make the arrangements for my things and send a notification to my employer. I’ll be on the next flight home.” In my mind’s eye, I could only see another plot in the graveyard. This one would sit beside Father’s and Grandpa’s grave. For my mother._

_One lost to a mugging I couldn’t remember. One lost to illness. One lost to a car crash. How many more family members would I have to suffer losing? Hadn’t we suffered and lost enough?_

_~ ~ ~_

Kagome slowly peeled her eyes open, finding her cheeks wet with tears. The memory of her dream caused her chest to tighten with grief. It felt too real. It all felt too real. She reached around to brush her fingers down her back, her breath hitching in her throat. It wasn’t real, it couldn’t be real. Her grandpa was alive and healthy back home. Still…

“ _The Inu Kami is a strong protector of the Higurashi family,” Grandpa told me gently, his eyes crinkling with his smile. I stared up at him with awe. “The Inu Kami has even saved my life when I was about your age.”_

“ _Whoa…” I turned my gaze down to the painting Grandpa had laid out for me. All my five-year-old eyes saw was a big, white dog with pretty pink markings on its cheeks and red eyes, holding a long, red bow in its mouth. I looked back up to Grandpa. “Grandpa, why does it carry a bow? It can’t use it with its paws.”_

“ _The Inu Kami is a protector of all mikos. But it also believes that in order to best assist in said protection, the mikos must start by protecting themselves. The bow is the classic weapon of choice for mikos, and the Inu Kami carries one to remind mikos to be strong and protect themselves first before they are suitable to receive its protection,” Grandpa explained, patting me on the head._

“ _Oh wow! Is that why Kikyou is learning how to use a bow?”_

“ _Yes and soon enough, you’ll start learning too.” He smiled down at me and I grinned up at him. “And I know you’ll do wonderfully my precious little bird.”_

Kagome shook her head, the memory feeling too real. But she couldn’t help the desire to race straight home and see her grandpa with her own two eyes to ensure he was okay.

“Ah, ye are finally awake,” Kaede’s voice came as the woman walked back into her home. Kagome sat up, a bit confused.

“Kaede? What’s going on? How did I get here?” Kagome asked, frowning. “The last thing I remember is falling…”

“It was an odd thing, to be certain. Kagura, that wind demon, brought ye here. She told me that ye had begun to scream and clutch at your skull. When she attempted to fly ye to safety, ye fell off her feather and passed out mid-fall. She said she didn’t know where else to take ye for medical help and so she brought ye here to me.” Kaede frowned slightly. “She seemed very concerned for ye. Regardless of what reason that possessed her to bring ye to me, I will say I’m grateful. I checked ye over, but found nothing amiss apart from the odd markings on your back.”

“Did anything happen? When you looked at the tattoo—er, markings?” Kagome asked, pulling her knees up to her chest.

“Nothing at all. Why?”

“It’s nothing…” Kagome sighed and rested her chin on her knees.

“Why do ye look so sad child?” Kaede carefully sat down next to Kagome, resting her hand on Kagome’s. Kagome attempted a smile before giving up, deciding to spill what was troubling her in the moment to the old miko.

“I had a bad dream that my grandfather and mother died,” she said softly. Kaede was quiet a moment. “And I just have this urge to race home and check on them, even though I know they’re alright.”

“Perhaps then ye should.” Kagome snapped her head up to look at Kaede, eyes wide. It was not what she was expecting. Kaede smiled. “Dreams are often important spiritual tools. It is always wise to heed the warnings that they hold. There is nothing to be lost by returning home and taking a few days to allow your soul some ease. I will inform Inuyasha when he returns of your whereabouts.”

“He won’t be happy I left without telling him.”

“He won’t be happy that Kagura was the one who brought ye to me either. Take the time ye need Kagome. Ye don’t want to risk any regrets. Trust an old woman on that regard.”

~ ~ ~

Kagome pulled herself out of the well, huffing as she swung her legs over the side. Exiting the well house, her eyes searched the grounds of the shrine hungrily. Worry and sorrow prickled up the back of her neck.

“Oh! Welcome back Kagome!” She turned on a dime, spotting her mother walking out of the house with a bright smile on her face. Her lips parted and her heart seemed to freeze in her chest. Sure, it’d been a little over a month since she’d last been home. But this felt like an extreme reaction.

Her feet carried her over to her mother, crashing into the older woman and hugging her tight. Tears came unbidden to her eyes and rushed down her cheeks as she pressed her face against her mother’s shoulder.

“Oh! What’s the matter, dear?” Asako asked, concerned. “Did something happen?”

“I’m just so glad to see you,” Kagome sobbed out, squeezing tighter. “I… I had a really bad dream that something happened to you and Grandpa and I got worried and I just had to come home and make sure you’re both alright, so I guess I’m just really relieved and—”

“Kagome, it’s okay. I’m fine, see? Now take a breath and come inside,” her mother said, cutting her off. “You’ll catch a cold out here.” Kagome nodded and pried herself away from Asako. Kagome allowed Asako to dry her tears before following her inside, a slight weight lifting off her chest.

“Ah Kagome, back so soon?”

‘ _Grandpa…’_

He was alive. He was healthy. He was happy. He was smiling at her.

‘ _He’s shorter than I remember… But he’s here…’_

Kagome felt as though she were living in a dream. The horrible sound of the hospital machines kept circling through her head and she didn’t even notice the voice cropping up.

“Eh? Kagome? You alright?” Matsuo asked his granddaughter. She didn’t answer, could only stare. Asako stepped in with an understanding smile.

“Kagome had a bad dream about us is all Father,” she explained. “See Kagome? We’re both perfectly alright.”

‘ _Grandpa… You’re home… You’re finally home…’_

Those words from the voice were what finally brought Kagome out of her stunned stupor, tears filling her eyes once more. She launched herself over to Matsuo and hugged him tightly, the words spilling from her lips as the voice appeared to take control of her mouth once more.

“Of course I’m home silly girl! Where would I even be? I should be the one saying that to you!” he demanded. Kagome gave a tearful laugh.

“You’re right. Of course, you’re right. I’m just… So happy to see you.”

“Well, you’re back at the right time,” Asako mentioned brightly. “Your friends called just last night to ask if you were going to be well enough for the tests you have tomorrow.”

“Tests?!” Kagome snapped out of her not-reunion with Matsuo to look at Asako with a panicked expression. “Which tests?!” Asako hummed as she thought it over.

“I believe it was English and Algebra.” _My worst subjects!_

“I need to study!” Kagome shouted before racing up to her room, slamming the door behind her. Once in her bedroom, she yanked out her textbooks and notebooks before flipping to the appropriate page for Algebra. Her pencil scribbled one of the example questions out. She needed to solve for x. Simple. 5x+9=24. She blinked.

 _I totally forgot how to do this… And this is supposed to be one of the easiest questions in the book._ She stared at the numbers. _Do I divide by five first? But five doesn’t divide into twenty-four… I’m so gonna fail…_

‘ _Okay, this is sad.’_ Kagome jerked upright. _‘Subtract by nine. Then divide that by five. Your answer is the leftover number.’_

_Y-you know algebra…?_

‘ _Of course, I do. I_ am _twenty-seven. I used to use algebra at work every day. Or at least bits and pieces of it._ _Basically, with algebra, you’re working backwards. Take the order of operations rules and reverse them. You’re trying to find the missing number to explain the solution.’_ Kagome slowly followed the voice's instructions and came up with the answer of three. She double-checked the answer in the book and saw it was correct. _‘Pick one of the harder questions that will be on your test and I’ll help you work through it. I won’t just give you the answer, but I can help you solve it for yourself.’_

_A-alright._

Kagome flipped further into the book and reached the section her class was currently on. She wrote down the example question in her notebook once more. The voice did as it said it would and carefully explained the process behind every equation, making it as simple for Kagome to understand as humanly possible. After about an hour, things were starting to sink in and Kagome decided to take a break before moving onto her English studies.

_Why are you helping me…?_

‘ _Because I feel bad.’_

_You feel bad?_

‘ _I pushed you to go see Kagura and you had a mental breakdown. I wasn’t as gentle with you as I should have been and because of that, we almost fell to our death.’_ The voice seemed to hesitate a moment. _‘When we were falling, for a moment, I didn’t think Kagura would catch us in time. So I tried to protect you the only way I know how… I’m sorry you had to see those memories. That wasn’t my intention. Grandpa was the only person who came to mind at the time and his stories about the Inu Kami.’_

_You… Shoved me away into your memories?_

‘ _Well, I certainly didn’t want the last thing you felt to be fear if we were going to die. My happiest memories growing up were always with Grandpa. Hearing his stories, training under him. He traveled a lot for work and oh, how I would stare out that window every day. Just waiting for him to come home… I wanted you to have a happy memory to experience. I didn’t realize it’d spiral into the sad ones too.’_

_None of this makes any sense._

‘ _As I said, my sister made a wish on the Shikon Jewel. The Jewel twisted her wish and the world got reset in a way that best suited the jewel’s desires. It wanted a chance to be free of the Higurashi family and my sister’s wish gave it the perfect opportunity.’_ There was the sound of humorless laughter. _‘If I were just some dead miko who happened to latch onto your soul and refusing to pass on, getting my memories confused with yours, then how can you explain the studying?’_

_The studying?_

‘ _If I were the spirit of a dead miko from the Feudal Era, and you don’t remember how to do your algebra work, how could I know how to do it? I can also help you with the English, considering I did live in America for five years and am quite fluent. Don’t ask for help with history or science though. I haven’t had to use those since high school.’_

 _You speak English fluently?! Say something in English!_ The voice seemed to chuckle before saying something that Kagome didn’t quite understand. She caught a couple of words, like home and heart, but the voice spoke so quickly and easily that the rest seemed to be mere chatter in Kagome’s head. _So what did you say?_

‘ _Home is where the heart is and heart is where you feel most where you belong. It’s something my friend Garret used to tell me.’_ The voice sounded a bit sad. _‘I suppose I’ll never be able to see Garret again. Not unless you somehow end up in America, if that’s even where he is.’_

_I’m sorry…_

‘ _It’s not your fault. You didn’t make the wish after all.’_ Kagome frowned, something not quite adding up in her mind.

_If everything you told me is completely true, then why do I not have an older sister? As far as my family is concerned, everything else is mostly on point. Little brother Sota. Deceased father. Mother and Grandfather raising me. Living in the shrine. But no sister._

‘ _Because… Part of her wish was to never be parted from me again. The jewel twisted it so she truly could_ never _be parted from me.’_ Kagome’s eyes widened as she touched her chest. _‘My sister’s name was Higurashi Kikyou. And her soul was combined with mine.’_

_W-when did all this even happen?_

‘ _A month ago. This world, you, everything… It’s only been like this for a month. All memories prior to that month have been created by the jewel to fit its narrative for this world. In reality, there was never a Kikyou living in the Feudal Era who loved Inuyasha.’_

_But… She was brought back…_

‘ _No. That is a clay doll wandering about with false memories. Doesn’t even have a soul.’_

_What exactly would happen if you were to completely become free? Would I just… Not exist anymore? Would the world go back to how it was? Would I die? Would Mom and Grandpa die?_

‘ _No, nothing like that.’_ The voice took on a reassuring tone and Kagome could’ve sworn she felt the sensation of someone gently smoothing her hair back. _‘The world was reset. There’s no going back unless someone were to wish upon the jewel once more. If I were to become completely free from my prison of your mind, you wouldn’t die. That’s not how it works. It’s more like… We become one. That’s what happened to Kagura.’_

_How can you be certain?_

‘ _Because, unlike you, I was trained in everything jewel-related my entire life. Like I said, the Higurashi family has been the protectors of the jewel for generations. Grandpa made certain that I knew how to handle any and all outcomes that could occur when wishing upon the jewel. World resets were just one of the many different possibilities that can come from it.’_

_So the jewel is… Sentient?_

‘ _Yes. It’s also a fucking asshole.’_ Kagome felt herself flushing at the language.

_Okay, well… Why not get started on my English studies? With your help, I might actually be able to ace this exam!_

‘ _English? You’re getting the top score if I have anything to say about it. Which I do.’_ Kagome found herself giggling at the voice’s smug tone. Maybe having a disembodied voice stuck in her head wouldn’t be _so_ bad.

~ ~ ~

“I’m very proud of this improvement,” Kagome’s English teacher told her. “I know you can’t come into school often, but hiring a tutor to make up for not being in class was definitely an excellent idea.”

“A tutor?” Kagome blinked slightly. Her teacher frowned.

“Yes. There’s no other way to explain such a vast improvement. Unless you used dishonest methods to get this score.”

“No! Nothing like that!” Kagome waved her hands in front of her, a blush staining her cheeks. “I just didn’t realize it would be so obvious that I hired a tutor.”

‘ _My rate is fifteen US dollars an hour.’_

_Not funny._

“I hope you can keep this up.” Kagome quickly bowed before turning and walking away, her hands tightening on the straps of her backpack.

‘ _Told you I’d get you top marks.’_

_I almost feel like I’m cheating…_

‘ _How? We already have this information. Just because it’s information that_ you _haven’t fully grasped yet, it’s information you_ will _grasp. Consider my assistance as a way of expediting the process.’_

 _I suppose._ Kagome frowned slightly as something else came to her. _What am I supposed to call you anyway? Just calling you Voice is a pain and makes me feel crazy and I’m not really comfortable calling you Kagome._ The voice was silent for a couple of moments as it appeared to think it over. While the voice thought about it, Kagome spied Hojo down the hall, looking lost and confused.

‘ _You could call me Kitten, I guess.’_

_Kitten?_

‘ _Yeah. It was my nickname back in America. There are only two names I will easily respond to. That would be Kagome and Kitten. If it’s too weird to call me Kagome, then call me Kitten.’_

_Kitten then._

“Hey, Hojo!” Kagome greeted brightly, smiling at her friend. He jerked and turned to look at her, a pained expression flashing across his face for half a second.

“Kagome! I’m glad you’re alright. I was worried… You were sick, right?” Kagome cocked her head to the side, slightly put off by how he was acting. Hojo was usually smiles and cheer, but now? He seemed like something was really bothering him.

“Hojo, are you okay? You seem to be acting a bit off today. Are you feeling well?” Kagome asked, concerned. His eyes widened in panic and he forced a smile.

“Me? No, I’m fine! Perfectly fine!” Neither Kagome, nor Kitten, were convinced.

‘ _Hm. This is odd. Maybe try bringing him to the roof to talk in private?’_

 _Good idea._ “Hey Hojo, mind coming up to the roof with me? I wanted to talk to you some.” He glanced around before eventually nodding, hesitating in the hall. As if he didn’t know where to go. “Uh, follow me.” Kagome turned and began to lead him to the roof, glancing over her shoulder every couple of minutes to check on him.

Distressed. That was the best word Kagome could think of for how he was acting.

‘ _Oh Hojo… Please be okay…’_ It didn’t seem like Kitten was talking to Kagome, rather that she was simply muttering aloud. Kagome could almost feel her wringing her hands together.

As they got onto the roof, Kagome turned to face Hojo when she found herself being pinned against the door by him. Her hands were in his grip and his head was bowed with his hair covering his eyes. Kagome squeaked and tried to tug away, her mind blanking on what to do or say. Thankfully, Kitten had no such reservations.

“What are you doing?” she demanded.

“Kagome, please calm down.” He sucked in a slow breath. “I know I’m going to sound crazy. I know it. But I’m going to try and explain it carefully. Just please give me a chance to explain before you run to the police or try to call some doctors because I’m _not_ crazy.”

“Perhaps you could explain whatever it is without pinning me against a door as if you were going to assault me.”

“No. I need to make sure you stay here so I can explain it.” He shook his head. “This isn’t right. None of this is right. A month ago we were just here. Not here exactly, but here in Japan.”

“This is our country of residence. I would be more surprised if we weren’t in Japan.” His head snapped up and the pleading look he gave them made Kagome more paranoid but seemed to soften Kitten considerably.

“You don’t understand.” His eyes looked wild to Kagome, but Kitten successfully locked the young girl away to take complete control of the body they both resided in. Once done, Kitten allowed herself to completely relax in Hojo’s hold. Her face eased and she smiled slightly. Her eyes pointedly drifted downwards to Hojo’s right shoulder. At her gaze, he gasped.

“You woke up a month ago and everything seemed normal,” Kitten said softly. “Until you saw it on your shoulder. Then it came back and you began to argue with yourself. You couldn’t settle on an explanation, and in that month’s time, your mind finally accepted it. Am I close?”

“No.” He shook his head and swallowed stiffly. “No, I went to sleep in my own bed in Chicago after a long flight back home. Then I was waking up here. I have no idea what happened, but I’m suddenly fifteen again. Further, I’m fifteen in Japan. My brain keeps trying to tell me these things I know to not be true. It keeps trying to erase our memories of Chicago. But I didn’t fucking grow up in Japan. I grew up in Atlanta. And as long as I have this reminder of my life, I refuse to forget it.”

“I remember too,” Kitten reassured him. He squinted at her.

“Prove it. Because no one else seems to.”

Kitten narrowed her eyes and tossed her hair, accepting the challenge. “Your rules for when I worked with Garret seems like as good a place as any to start. No intercourse, subspace only, no touching my nether regions, no lasting bruises, no allowing anyone else to touch, and no showing my face.” His grip lessened slightly. “Your preferred drink is a neat scotch. You can’t stand the taste of beer. That tattoo? It’s the symbol of the United States Marine Corps. You got it to honor your father, who died overseas when you were in high school. You went to college to be a doctor after your mother had to plead and beg you not to join the military like your father. It was while you were in college that you stumbled upon the world of BDSM. Most subs underestimate you, as I did because you seem really laid-back. But when I push all of the right buttons, you can come up with the meanest and most interesting punishments seen at Dragon’s Mantle. You and Sango have perfected the art of co-Topping when it pleases the both of you and any partners you may have. I was the only sub you were in a long-term partnership with. How did I do?”

Hojo’s lips crashed against hers and she gasped, easily allowing him access to her mouth. Her eyes shut and her mind could easily picture this as the man who rocked her world for a good amount of time. It was a blast from the past that lit her insides on fire.

 _What are you doing?!_ Kagome screeched inside her mind.

‘ _Oh. Whoops, sorry. I may have forgotten about you for a minute.’_

_Oh Kami, I’m kissing Hojo… I’m kissing Hojo!_

Kitten turned her head slightly away from Hojo, biting her lip as he moved down to devour her neck in the way he knew she loved. Her knees were beginning to feel weak as she struggled to remember that her younger self was slowly becoming traumatized by the adults’ conversation.

“Taxes,” she forced herself to say, eyes going half-mast as Hojo immediately pulled himself away and released her, taking a couple of steps back. She forced herself to calm down, mentally giving her libido a stern talking to.

“I’m sorry. I’ve just felt so lost this past month.” He forced his fingers through his hair aggressively in a manner that was so _Hojo_ that it made Kitten’s heartache for the past.

“I understand. But… I didn’t get as lucky as you,” she explained softly. “I woke up trapped in my own head, unable to get free. My younger self is the one who is mainly in control, she’s the one who approached you in the hall and invited you up here to talk. I only get snippets of time. And even when I do get time, she’s still there. And she’s pretty freaked out by our…” Kitten cleared her throat slightly, a small blush staining her cheeks. “Reunion.”

“I see.” He frowned slightly before tossing her an apologetic smile. “I’m sorry for my forward actions Kagome. I hope you can understand.”

 _Oh. He’s…_ Kagome seemed at a loss. _So much more charming than I remember Hojo being._

‘ _I was involved with him for a reason.’_

“I don’t know how much more time I’ll have. But I’m working on fixing everything, I promise. I can’t fully explain what’s going on, but trust me.”

“I always do Kitten,” he replied smoothly, giving her a gentle look. “Just having this confirmation that I’m not crazy and that you’re out there is enough for me to push forward.” He snapped. “Garret has that snake tattoo on his leg that he got in college. Sango and Kagura don’t have any tattoos, but I wonder if I can find them on Facebook. Maybe one of them remembers something.”

“Kagura does remember, but she’s… Not available right now,” Kitten interjected. “Sango doesn’t remember, but she’s in the same boat. You could try for Garret though.” She frowned slightly. “I don’t think he’d have ended up in Japan. The man practically screams American from the rooftops.”

A zap hit Kitten, warning her of approaching demonic energy. One that was extremely familiar. Her head snapped to the side and she caught a flash of red heading their way.

“You go do that,” she said quickly. “I’m going to need a couple minutes to talk to my idiot best friend.” Hojo blinked.

“You mean your friend who stormed out after dinner? What was his name again? Inu-yo-sho?”

“Inuyasha.” The hanyou in question landed on the school rooftop looking pissed. He glared down at Kitten, his dog ears covered with a baseball cap. Hojo’s jaw dropped.

“What the hell Kagome?” Inuyasha demanded.

‘ _You want this one?’_ Kitten offered her other self.

_Ugh, no. Have fun. I’m honestly a bit curious to see how you handle this._

‘ _You spoil me!’_

“Inuyasha, you remember Hojo right?” Kitten asked with a cheeky smile. He barely glanced in the boy’s direction.

“Kagome, why is his hair silver instead of black?” Hojo asked carefully. “And why is he dressed like that?”

“None of your business pipsqueak,” Inuyasha snapped, scowling and crossing his arms. “How about you beat it so I can talk to Kagome?”

“Inuyasha, don’t be rude.” Kitten narrowed her eyes. “Surely you remember having dinner with Hojo a month ago.” She was playing with fire. She _knew_ she was playing with fire. Inuyasha had already struggled to remember and failed. She was risking his mental state by attempting to force it. This wasn’t like with Kagura where it was a simple matter of having to prove it. He was half-human, which meant his human mind would be in danger of fracturing if it went wrong. But she _needed_ her best friend’s assistance. She needed to slowly work with her closest confidants in order to right the wrong caused by her sister. And frankly… She wanted someone to talk to about Kikyou. The real Kikyou, not the fake version the jewel had made up for the sake of this new world.

Inuyasha’s eyes glazed over slightly as his mind conflicted. “Dinner?” He sounded dazed and confused. Hojo gave Kitten a frown but seemed to decide to back her up.

“Right, dinner,” Hojo agreed. “Sango, myself, Garret, you, and Kagome all went out for dinner after the three of us surprised Kagome. We shared a bunch of stories about her and you told the one about her jerk of a high school teacher who wouldn’t allow her to use the restroom while she was on her period. Glitter glue and tampons were part of her revenge.”

Inuyasha gave a faint grin. “Yeah… He was so pissed off, but he couldn’t prove Kagome was the one who did it. Because I was the one who planted it in his car. He still did his best to make the rest of the year hell for the both of us.”

 _I don’t think I want to know the rest of that story,_ Kagome stated. She seemed sad and withdrawn. Probably starting to come to terms with the fact that Kitten hadn’t lied about anything. If even Inuyasha was remembering this other life…

‘ _He may not love us the way you desire him to, but he still does love us. We’re best friends. We were meant to become related by marriage. My brother in the eyes of the law rather than just my brother in spirit.’_ Wanting to help, Kitten thought up an easy memory—the first time she met Inuyasha—and gently tucked Kagome away into it. The young girl didn’t need to be witness firsthand to her crush possibly being lost to her forever.

“Please come back to me,” she pleaded with him, eyes begging.

“Where…” he scowled and shook his head, his eyes flashing red momentarily before clearing. “Where is Kikyou?” Hojo took that moment to ascertain that the job was complete and the two needed some time alone, choosing to slip through the door and vanish into the school. “Because that clay doll walkin’ around is not Kikyou. I know it, you know it. What did she do?”

“She wished on the jewel,” Kitten told him softly. Inuyasha snarled and slammed his fist against the wall.

“This jewel. It’s the same one we’ve apparently been huntin’ right?” Kitten nodded. “Fuck! Fuckin’ shit! Shit! Fuck! Dammit! Bitch! Ass! _Fuck_!” He glared at Kitten after his outbreak, eyes gleaming red. It was clear that he was barely keeping it together. “What happened to her? What did she wish for?”

“’I wish to never be parted from my sister and for her to fall for a man like Inuyasha. One who is strong, honorable, courageous, and will protect her,’” Kitten quoted. She struggled to swallow past the lump in her throat. “The jewel twisted the wish. It… Combined our souls together before resetting the world.”

“Can…” Inuyasha cleared his throat, his fists clenched. “Can we save her?” That was what finally broke Kitten. She burst into tears and fell to her knees, everything she’d been holding back the past month flooding to the surface.

“I don’t know!” she wailed, allowing Inuyasha to snatch her into his arms and hold her close. “M-maybe if we get the jewel back, maybe I can make a wish to fix it, but I’m scared of making everything worse! What if it twists my wish? Then the jewel gets passed down to Sota and we risk losing her forever.”

“That idiot…” he growled. “I told her to let it go. I told her to trust you. Stubborn woman.”

“W-welcome to the Higurashi f-family,” she tried to joke, but her cracking voice didn’t really lend itself to humor at the moment. She quickly turned her face up to look at Inuyasha. “Are you okay though? The other you, has he accepted it? Is it fully you?” He scowled.

“Nah, bastard is as stubborn as me. He thinks this is some game Naraku is playin’. Currently bashing against my head trying to break out.”

“He needs to fully accept it in order for you both to become one,” Kitten explained. “If you keep fighting each other, you risk damaging your mental state.”

“What about your mind?” he shot back. “At least I’m half-demon. My brain can handle a little bit of beatin’.” Kitten sighed.

“Kagome was difficult at first, but she and I came to an understanding. She won’t fully accept it until it’s proven without a shadow of a doubt to not be a Naraku scheme. She doesn’t want to risk becoming one, only to have me go and force her to betray all her friends. I can accept this, and I agreed to work with her instead of against her. Right now, I have her tucked away in a memory to keep her mental state safe.” She gave Inuyasha a pointed look. “She doesn’t need to see her crush like this.” He made a face.

“What memory did you put her in?”

“The one where we met. I’m actively cycling through my favorite memories together for her. It’ll be easier for her in the long run if she sees you as I do, instead of how the jewel forced her to see you. Maybe you should try it for your other self.”

“I dunno how.” He shrugged before grinning. “Gonna need some help from my best friend. Who is apparently a badass miko, thanks for the head’s up on that by the way.”

“Thanks for the head’s up on your hanyou status too,” she shot back. They stuck their tongues out at each other before laughing. He wiped away her leftover tears.

“We’ll save her,” he promised softly. “We can do it.” She nodded in affirmation, giving him a smile. “Now teach me how to do this tucking away bullshit.”

“Alright, close your eyes.” He obliged. “Now think of a memory. Doesn’t matter what kind, but I recommend nothing too heavy or anything that could lead to something too heavy. I made that mistake once with Kagome, which is why I ended up here in the future. Nod when you’ve got one.” He nodded. “Okay, now go to where you rudely shoved Inuyasha in your mind and picture the memory enveloping him. Surrounding him. Let him experience it.” His brow furrowed as he attempted to follow her instructions and she gently pushed a bit of reiki into him to assist with the process. She deliberately tempered her reiki to not harm, only guide, and her reiki happily complied. After a few moments, he opened his eyes and flashed a grin.

“It worked.”

“What memory did you tuck him into?” she asked, curious. He sniffed, giving her a smug look.

“When I met you, of course.”

~ ~ ~

Sesshoumaru rose his head as her scent struck him. He pulled in a breath and let it buzz over his senses as the crisp scent of cherry blossoms and magnolias ran across his tongue. She was finally back. His expression darkened as he tasted another—albeit more faint—scent coating her. It was oddly familiar, a mix between an evergreen tree and ferns, but he couldn’t quite recall where he smelled the combination.

When she vanished nearly a week ago from the village, he’d been frustrated. More than frustrated. He’d been furious with his other self for allowing her to leave without him in the first place. He’d been furious with her for sneaking away and masking her scent so he couldn’t track her. He’d been furious with Naraku for seemingly kidnapping her. He’d been furious with himself for not being able to track her after Kagura took her to the air. The wind demon was quite lucky he hadn’t removed her head from her shoulders when she approached the group while they were searching for Kagome.

The wind demon demanded to speak to _Sango—_ of all people—and explained to her, and her alone, that Kagome was delivered to Kaede for treatment after she seemed to suffer some form of mental stress. Kagura refused to answer any of their questions but gave Sango a wistful expression before flying away on her feather. The whole matter confused Sesshoumaru to no end.

When they finally arrived in the small human village, Kaede expressed that Kagome was perfectly fine and had gone back home for a few days due to having a nightmare involving her mother and grandfather. Inuyasha went to get her back, but then he hadn’t come back right away with the miko in tow.

It was all… Frustrating.

Sesshoumaru made his way over to the well swiftly, watching Inuyasha assist Kagome in climbing the well, and waited for her to acknowledge him. She didn’t. Instead, she completely ignored him. He stiffened slightly. No, more than that. It was as if she acknowledged his presence and then brushed him off like he wasn’t worthy of her time. He pulled in another breath and snarled softly. That other scent covered her from head to toe and seemed to be concentrated on her _lips_. Another man had been kissing her, had his tongue in her mouth, had his hands over her body.

_Mine._

~ ~ ~

Kagome did her best not to look at Sesshoumaru. She knew what Kitten had told her and she knew what her body told her, but she still struggled to see the powerful youkai as some form of love interest. Not when the memories of him trying to kill her still felt fresh in her mind. Frankly, she didn’t want to deal with it. She spent an entire day with Inuyasha—her Inuyasha—trying to make sense of everything. They did the same thing Kagura and Kitten had done before, where they each recited a piece of the memory they’d both been ‘tucked away’ into in order to create a full picture to verify that they’d seen the same things. Everything had matched up. Now, she didn’t know how exactly she was supposed to see Inuyasha.

Before this, she would’ve been dead-set on proclaiming her love for him. She convinced herself that what she felt was love. Kitten called it a simple crush. Then she went into a bunch of science talk about how teenagers feel emotions a lot higher than they truly are due to their bodies changing and hormones and Kagome got kind of lost. She wasn’t certain where she fell now. After seeing Inuyasha in the modern setting… He was definitely still Inuyasha, no one could ever mistake that. But he was also a more free version of Inuyasha. He was more relaxed and happy. He still made mistakes and they still fought a lot, but there wasn’t any of the deadly air that took on the types of fights Kagome got into with him. Kitten couldn’t just yell at Inuyasha to sit and instantly win an argument. Instead, the woman and Inuyasha yelled at each other for a bit, pouted for a bit more, slowly calmed down, then talked things out together before coming to a conclusion.

Then came the biggest test for both Kagome and Inuyasha. The do or die. Something she hadn’t done in over a month. She told him to sit.

And nothing happened…

The beads didn’t work because they weren’t real. A priestess had not placed them around his neck. A priestess had not given them a command word. They were merely just a set-piece designed by the stupid jewel to further play into this fantasy world it had created. It was just another story-telling device to further the narrative it was trying to create. And Kikyou? The dead miko who had been making Kagome’s life more difficult than it needed to be on an emotional level? It wasn’t even Kikyou. That was probably a bigger hit to Inuyasha than to Kagome. But Kitten had promised that she would do whatever it took to get her sister back.

“Miko,” Sesshoumaru growled, his eyes gaining a hint of red. Kagome gulped, feeling her fighting spirit wander off into the forest as she locked eyes with him. He seemed to be a bit pissed off.

“Not now,” Inuyasha snapped, placing a hand on Kagome’s shoulder. Sesshoumaru’s gaze zeroed in on that hand and he let out another low growl.

‘ _Oh bother. This is annoying.’_

“Remove your hand from the miko’s shoulder,” Sesshoumaru stated. Inuyasha blinked once and his face seemed to relax a touch, letting Kagome know that it was Kitten’s Inuyasha who was in control. Probably by force, knowing Inuyasha.

The hanyou very slowly raised his hand off Kagome’s shoulder and raised his hands in surrender before taking a couple of steps away. “You want to try reigning in your beast?” he asked softly. _Of course_. Kitten’s Inuyasha—despite not getting along with Sesshoumaru either—would have a lot more knowledge about demons and their beasts than Kagome’s. He grew up surrounded by them and being privy to the secrets of how to handle it when a beast began to take control. He was also a lot older than Kagome’s Inuyasha and had a better handle on his emotions.

‘ _Let’s not be too generous with how well Inuyasha handles his emotions. He_ did _ask me to accompany him to a black-tie event so he wouldn’t be alone.’_ Kitten sounded amused.

_Not the time!_

‘ _Hmph. Always the time…’_

_You know, when you act like that it makes it hard to believe that you’re actually twenty-seven._

“Do not lecture me about my beast _half-breed_ ,” Sesshoumaru snarled. Inuyasha gave a sniff of indifference, crossing his arms.

“Considerin’ mine is something I have no control over without external assistance, one would think an asshole like you would have no fuckin’ problem with it,” he countered. He glanced over to Kagome, giving her a nod. “I recommend letting Kitten handle this one. Unless you wanna be scarred for life.” With that, he leaped away, leaving Kagome completely alone with a youkai who appeared to be in the midst of being taken over by his beast.

_He left me?!_

‘ _He would only make matters worse. I guess. Can’t see any other reason why Inuyasha would ditch us like that.’_ Sesshoumaru’s gaze narrowed on Kagome’s lips. _‘Oh… I get it now! He can probably still smell Hojo on us and his beastly instincts are raging over someone else touching you!’_

_What do I do?!_

‘ _Enjoy being ravaged by an enraged youkai who is determined to leave you covered in his scent to warn all other potential matches that you are currently claimed?’_

“What?!” Kagome exclaimed, accidentally speaking out loud. Sesshoumaru was in her personal space in less time than it’d taken her to blush from her outburst. He ducked his head and was clearly smelling her neck, growling at whatever scent he found.

‘ _Option two is to allow me to take control and diffuse the situation. Failing that, I can at least make it more PG-13 by shoving you into a memory.’_ Kagome didn’t bother arguing, just mentally took a back seat and allowed Kitten full control.

“Taxes,” Kitten snapped. Sesshoumaru froze. “I may consent to being claimed in any and all ways you can possibly imagine, but Kagome certainly has not. If you ever want a chance for her to accept you, then you cannot step over her boundaries like this.”

“This one would surmise that this world’s version of Kagome is not in control currently,” he muttered, taking a step back. Kitten rolled her eyes.

“What gave it away? The safeword?” She jabbed her finger into his chest and glared at him. “And I would guess that _my_ Sesshoumaru isn’t in control either.” He blinked in surprise. “ _My_ Sesshoumaru doesn’t feel the need to make himself seem more superior by refusing to use personal pronouns. And don’t bother trying to argue, I know he’s in there and I _know_ he has the ability to be in control. He was the one under the tree that night a week ago.”

“Hn.”

“I consent to _him_ ravaging me ten ways to Sunday. Not _you_.”

“So you do consent to my advances then?” He raised a single brow. Kitten flushed and she shoved at him. Fucker didn’t even pretend to stumble. Instead, he latched onto her wrists and pulled her to him, seeming to enjoy the way she fell into his chest. They locked eyes and all reasonable thought left Kitten’s mind. He trailed a claw down her jaw before rubbing a thumb down her jugular, causing her eyes to flutter close as the sensation tickled through her scalp. “And who was it that you consented to kissing you and this delicious neck? Because I do believe we agreed that I’m not fond of sharing.”

They had agreed upon something like that. Right before everything went to shit.

“Hojo,” she breathed out, licking her lips. “He never got his memories wiped and he’s been struggling this past month. When he realized that I have the ability to remember as well, he got… Over-excited.”

“I do not enjoy his scent on you.”

“You didn’t seem to mind it at the club.”

“That was before you agreed to be mine.” Fuck, was his voice always this suggestive? She bit her lip and blinked her eyes open, staring into his gorgeous amber ones.

“T-technically, I agreed to see if we would work on in a long-term situation. And you did bribe me with a healthy amount of shower sex and delicious food.” Hell, why was it so hard to back-talk him? Outside of a sexual scenario? She could definitely talk back all day. But once he had her like this? The only word she wanted to say was ‘please.’

“I’m willing to go to such drastic efforts a second time, should the need arise.” He gave her a smirk. “Does the need arise?”

“I may need a reminder of your skills.” She flashed him a look of pure angelic grace and innocence. “Oddly enough, I can’t seem to recall if you’re any good in the bedroom. Must not have been memorable enough.”

His lips covered hers in an instant and he didn’t bother coaxing her lips apart. His tongue demanded entry and she couldn’t find it in herself to deny him. She rose up on her toes to wrap her arms around his neck and kiss him back, a soft moan rising up from her throat.

He lifted her easily and placed her on the edge of the well, hands yanking her knees apart. Her nails dug into the back of his neck while his fingers moved under her skirt and rubbed along her slit. He shoved aside her soaking wet panties and Kitten very, _very_ quickly took a moment to shove Kagome into a memory, not taking the time to consider which one she was shoving the girl away into. Just that she didn’t particularly want the audience. Sesshoumaru rubbed two fingers over her clit and she shoved her hips into his hand, soft cries of satisfaction leaving her lips.

When his hand left her, she gave him a whine which caused him to chuckle against her lips. He pulled his lips from hers and raised his fingers to his mouth, gnawing off his nails swiftly with his fangs. It was kind of hot. Then his mouth was on her neck and his fingers were plunging into her core without a care.

“Fuck, _yes_ ,” she gasped out. He groaned at whatever he found, his thumb rubbing circles against her clit. Those fingers inside her curled upwards and rubbed directly over her g-spot, encouraging her to fall to pieces in his hands sooner rather than later. He was not drawing anything out.

“Fucking hell Kagome,” he snarled against her neck. His fangs grazed at the delicate skin, so she tipped her head back to encourage him to bite. “You realize that this body is a virgin? And you are not acting as such. It’s driving my instincts insane.”

“Shut the fuck up about magic bullshit,” she pleaded, arching her hips to better ride his fingers. He gave her neck a nip, the feel just the right thing she needed to ride that wave to completion. She gave a shattered cry as her inner muscles tensed against his fingers. Everything in her stilled as she road the wave before slumping against him, gasping for breath. He carefully pulled his fingers from her and licked them clean, eyes giving a slight flash of red.

“You look so perfect like this,” he told her softly, brushing her hair behind her ear. She gave him a lazy smile and allowed him to pull her into his arms before sitting on the ground with her in his lap. She pressed her hand against his chest, her heart aching suddenly as she was reminded of their perfect morning rudely interrupted.

“I think I could’ve fallen in love with you,” she admitted softly. “I was probably already on the way there.”

“The same applies for me,” he agreed, his arms tightening around her. “You are everything I didn’t realize that I was seeking from a partner. Strong and passionate. Not a push-over. Submissive, but not overtly so.”

“You were what I wanted as well. Dominant. Able to handle me. Not afraid to back down, but not wanting to break my spirit. You enjoyed the games I played and played them right alongside me.” She gave a slight frown, considering her last relationship with a Dominant. It hadn’t ended well for either party in the end. “I wonder if you would’ve ended up getting frustrated with my games though. Kouga did.”

“Kouga is a fool.”

“I never knew you were youkai. I never sensed even a spark of demonic energy from you. And yet, it’s already familiar to me. So it wasn’t my reiki that failed to detect you.” She glanced up at him, a questioning look on her face.

“We adapted to survive in a human-dominated world,” he explained softly. “Devices are used to hide our youkai self, and this includes our demonic presence. There is a more permanent solution, an injection one can get every few months, but I never bothered with that. I always figured wearing the watch was good enough. And for the short-term, if I cannot wear my watch, there are pills that can be taken.” He gave her a smirk. “Think of the injections, pills, and watch like the different types of birth control women can get.” She snickered.

“Does that mean there’s an implant that’s good for about three years?” she joked. He chuckled and shook his head.

“No, we weren’t that advanced yet.” Her eyes gleamed with mischief.

“Is there a surgery where you can get your demon ovaries removed? Maybe some tubes tied?”

“Perhaps I ought to find another use for that mouth of yours.”

“I bite.”

He gave her a chuckle and bent his head down, grazing his fangs over her neck. She shuddered and bit her lip, trying not to moan. “So do I _kitten_.” She cleared her throat and tried to pull her mind from the gutter.

“Did you know that I was a miko?” she asked. He shook his head, giving her a frown.

“No, I didn’t. I can’t even sense it now.” She blinked. “I can sense reiki easily from any miko, whether they’ve had training or not. But I cannot sense any from you unless you are using it. And only then, it has to leave your body in order for me to sense it.”

That’s when it clicked in her mind.

“Grandpa.” He gave her a confused look. “When Kikyou, Sota, and I were growing up, Grandpa used to channel his reiki over us from head to toe. He always said it was something the Higurashi family did to protect itself from demons. He must’ve been shielding us from being sensed.”

“He must’ve been extremely powerful if he was able to have the shield persist for so long.”

Kitten nodded, giving a sad smile. “He was.”

“What happened Kagome?” Sesshoumaru asked gently. “That morning… Everything seemed to dissolve around us, you were in pain and clutching at your chest, and when I finally was able to open my eyes… I could see and hear the world around me, but I wasn’t the one in control. I couldn’t make my voice heard to the other me until I finally saw your tattoo. Then I was allowed enough freedom to explain to him as much as I knew, which I believe I have already guessed at what happened, but I want confirmation. So what, exactly, occurred?”

“So, basically, Kikyou did what she threatened and made a wish…”

~ ~ ~

“ _You made this?” I asked in shock. Sesshoumaru gave me an amused look._

“ _Of course. Did you think I couldn’t?”_

“ _Well, don’t rich guys usually just demand other people to make them things?” I gave him a teasing smile, which caused him to release a full-bellied laugh. It was a nice laugh that freed up his face and made me feel warm. I liked seeing him laugh._

“ _That would require hiring someone to do something that I can just as easily do myself. Now, are you going to eat or do you require assistance?” He broke off a piece of my bacon and smirked, holding it in front of my lips. I leaned forward and took the piece between my teeth, eyes never leaving his. An appreciative moan rose from the bottom of my throat at the taste. Cooked to perfection with just the right amount of seasonings._

_Sesshoumaru had taken it upon himself to make me a full American breakfast, something I hadn’t had in the three years I’d been in Japan. Eggs and toast, bacon and hash browns, pancakes and sausage. I knew I would never be able to eat it all, but it was the delicate reminder I needed of home. And the one person in all of Japan who I felt could truly share in it with._

“ _I wanted to discuss our future liaisons together,” he mentioned, feeding me a bite of hash browns. I gestured for him to continue while I dipped my bacon into some syrup, earning a face of disgust from him at the act. “I would like, if you are willing, to partake in a more exclusive form of relationship.”_

“ _Hm.” I considered this as I popped the bacon into my mouth. He waited patiently for me to consider it, eating some sausage himself. I ran through the pros and cons in my head of agreeing to an exclusive relationship._

_Pro: He’s amazing at sex. Vanilla and D/s sex. Con: My sister hates him. Pro: He understands my feelings towards Chicago. Con: I don’t know much about him. Pro: He’s obviously willing to discuss his more personal life, I need only ask. Con: Exclusive usually means dating, and that didn’t work out well with Kouga. Pro: He isn’t proposing marriage and he isn’t proclaiming some undying love for me either. Con: If I’m not working, the relationship will always feel unbalanced to me. Pro: I knew I needed a job anyway and so long as he doesn’t try to keep me from one, the previous con is null._

“ _Explain a bit more for me,” I requested, taking a bite of pancake. Fucking hell, why was he so good at cooking? I mentally added his amazing skills in the kitchen to my pros._

“ _It can be as fluid or as strict as you’re willing to make it,” he replied smoothly. “If you’re not comfortable with going out on dates, we don’t have to. If you want to go out on dates, I’m more than willing to do so. I’m not asking you to move in, but I will admit that I can be possessive. I don’t like to share those I’m in a relationship with unless it is something that has been previously agreed upon.” I nodded, thinking back on my partnership with Hojo and his rules for sharing. “Simply put, I’d like to attempt an exclusive relationship. I like you Kagome. I enjoy your presence, even beyond the bedroom. I want to learn more about you and I want you to learn more about me. If it doesn’t work out, then it doesn’t work out. If you want to break things off, you are more than welcome to. This isn’t me asking you to sign your life away to me, just that I’d like to try.”_

_I considered his words, spearing a strawberry and placing it between my lips. He watched me as I tongued the fork, his body slowly stiffening as I absentmindedly played with the piece of metal. “I suppose I would be willing to try an exclusive relationship. I wouldn’t mind going out on dates either.” He flashed me a smile that was so unexpected, I actually stopped teasing him._

“ _We can iron out the D/s side later.” I nodded in agreement. “For now, I’d simply like to enjoy that sinful tongue of yours in all ways.” My thighs rubbed together in joy as he finally stood from his seat at the table and made his way over to me…_

Kagome watched the rest of the memory play out, feeling like her cheeks should be burning. But no, Kitten was happily enjoying the attentions of a deadly youkai and didn’t feel the need to be embarrassed. Kagome couldn’t decide which was worse, personally experiencing Sesshoumaru play her body like a fiddle or experiencing Kitten’s memory of playing _his_ body like a fiddle. She couldn’t even find it in herself to be mad either. Not when she considered if the roles were reversed. Kitten and Sesshoumaru clearly had a very sexual relationship, still in what her friends would call the ‘honeymoon phase,’ and she was given a chance to have him again. Kagome was certain the woman hadn’t meant to shove her into this particular memory, and she was glad Kitten had remembered to tuck her away at all. She didn’t think she could handle feeling Sesshoumaru—of all people—rubbing his strong and skilled fingers over her…

 _Eep!_ She banished that line of thinking in an instant. No! She would _not_ be thinking of Sesshoumaru like that! His mouth on hers, his hands shoving her knees apart, those fingers stroking her just right… _Stop it brain!_ But part of her wished Kitten hadn’t thought to shove her away. Part of her wanted to know first-hand what made the woman pant after him like an animal in heat. This memory only showed her what made Sesshoumaru desire the woman, though Kagome could admit to learning a thing or two from it. She took note of how Kitten focused her attentions with her mouth on his head and didn’t try to shove his entire—erm—penis in her mouth. She instead pumped with her right hand, fondled him with her left, and made sure to swirl her tongue all over him before allowing her teeth to just barely graze him.

At one point, she pushed him down to the back of her throat—controlling her gag reflexes expertly—and _swallowed_. Her thoughts at the time were devious, and the action sent Sesshoumaru over the edge. This caused Kitten to need to swallow more as he exploded in her mouth. It was an oddly erotic sight, seeing him nearly collapse from her point of view through Kitten’s eyes.

After that, it seemed like the entire scenario was flipped on its head. Sesshoumaru pulled the woman up and into his arms, even as his breath remained ragged. They didn’t kiss or anything of the sort, but instead, Sesshoumaru sat in a chair and held Kitten in his lap. His arms held her close and he muttered various nothings in her ear: about how she was gorgeous, she was amazing, she was perfection. And Kitten’s mind was filled with satisfaction surrounding her abilities to please this man so thoroughly in order to bring him to such a state. Both seemed to radiate complete contentment. It went from a scene Kagome would’ve likened to a porno to a scene Kagome could reasonably find in a romance flick.

A part of her was a bit jealous if she were to be completely honest with herself. Inuyasha had never held her like this, had never whispered such things to her. He’d held her, certainly, but not purely because he wanted to. Not for him, he always did it for her. Kagome let out a sigh. No, this was the way she could remember seeing him hold Kikyou. There was this sense of perfect trust between Kitten and Sesshoumaru. She knew she had all the real power in the relationship, but she trusted him enough to give it over freely to control. He knew this and accepted the fact with dignity and grace. They allowed the other to remind them that neither was wrong or twisted for desiring such things. And they were adult enough to not mistake like with love.

 _Could I get that?_ Kagome wondered as she allowed herself to be tucked deeper into this memory. _Could I have this kind of trust and devotion?_

~ ~ ~

‘ _You don’t have to be afraid of me you know.’_

_I’m not afraid! I just wish I knew what you wanted from me._

‘ _I told you. I want freedom. I want to be able to see my friends again. But I’m not stupid enough to believe that I’d be able to survive in this world. I’m also not naive enough to believe I have any chance of seeing my best friends again.’_

_Exactly my point! You say you want freedom, but you do nothing to achieve that goal. You claim it's because you don’t have enough information to move forward, but you refuse to allow me to even ask others for the information you lack. It’s ridiculous. How can I trust you like this?_

‘ _I don’t know who you can trust with this information. Obviously Kagome, but she’s never alone. And sorry, but I don’t trust Inuyasha with this. Neither do I really trust Sesshoumaru. I only knew them for a single night. I’d say you could ask Kagura, but you don’t trust her. Last thing I want is for you to open your mouth and end up getting me stuck back in the prison that is your mind. No offense, but your memories are not pretty. In fact, they’re downright tragic. It makes me sad to think of any person having to go through the things you have gone through.’_

Sango sighed at the voice and shook her head, glancing over to the forest to wait for Kagome’s return. She trusted Inuyasha, the voice didn’t. The voice trusted Kagura, she didn’t. Neither trusted Sesshoumaru. The only person they both agreed to trust was Kagome.

Finally, _finally_ , Kagome and Sesshoumaru walked out of the forest. Sesshoumaru looked impassive as always, but Kagome was slightly flushed and kept running her fingers over her neck while also appearing to be satisfied.

‘ _She got off.’_

_She got off? What does that mean?_

‘ _Ask me again when you’re older.’_

“Kagome!” Sango called, mentally shoving the voice over. Kagome blinked up at Sango before giving her a sad smile. “Kagome, you’re back!” Sango gave the other girl a hug and a bright smile.

“Sorry for running off on you guys.” Her eyes darted over to Sesshoumaru, who continued to walk on. “It’s… Nothing. Really. Just trying to play the hero!” She laughed.

‘ _She’s lying.’_

_Even I could tell that much._

‘ _Perhaps she’s too nervous to speak in front of others.’_

“Let’s go bathe in the hot springs,” Sango suggested. “Get away from all the men for a bit. It’s been a while since we’ve had some girl time.”

“Are you sure?” Sango nodded firmly. Kagome relaxed and gestured. “Lead the way then.”

Following the voice’s advice, Sango did exactly as it requested. “Then right this way… Kitten.”

~ ~ ~


	2. Part Two

_Maybe it was a slip of the tongue,_ Kagome suggested. Kitten didn’t respond, instead choosing to remain silent and simply watch everything play out. _Um, is it possible for you to like… Look away when I’m bathing?_

‘…’ Kagome could feel the ellipses. It wasn’t a pleasant feeling.

_What?_

‘ _Ignoring the fact that you were perfectly fine in the modern world in the shower, this is still my body. I guarantee I know it better than you do.’_

_But…_

‘ _Why are you suddenly so self-conscious?’_ Kagome struggled not to think about the memory Kitten had shoved her into. She really did. But trying not to think about it only made her think about it. More specifically, the image of Kagome in Kitten’s eyes on her knees in front of Sesshoumaru with his cock buried in her mouth. A blush raced across Kagome’s face. _‘Oh. Fuck. I am_ so _sorry. Shit, I wasn’t paying attention to where I was shoving you, just that you clearly didn’t want to… Fuck. Fuck, fuck, fuck.’_

_You and your Inuyasha sure do swear a lot._

‘ _Helps release tension. It’s an adult thing.’_

_It’s not your fault. I mean, it started out pleasant enough with you two sharing breakfast!_

‘ _Oh fuck, you didn’t see anything_ prior _to breakfast right?’_

_Uh. No._

‘ _Thank fuck.’_ This only served to make Kagome curious about what it was prior to breakfast that made Kitten panic.

_Either way, it just kind of sank in that you’re… You know… An attractive woman who gets chased after by all the guys. Makes me feel a little inferior._ Maybe it was stupid, but the fear of Kitten seeing Kagome’s body and finding it lacking just seemed to permeate her every step towards the hot springs. If her older self didn’t find Kagome appealing, then who would?

‘ _First and foremost: that’s the dumbest shit ever.’_ Kagome blinked. _‘Yeah, guys hit on me a lot. I’m_ you _. So if they hit on me, they hit on you. Second, I am past the stage of self-loathing. Finally, if I didn’t find your body unappealing before, then I won’t suddenly change my mind because you were privy to me giving Sesshoumaru head.’_

_Hard to believe you ever had a self-loathing phase._

‘ _My elder sister is Kikyou. Believe me, I had a self-loathing phase.’_

Their conversation was cut short when they finally made it to the hot springs. Sango immediately began to strip, not sparing Kagome a glance or speaking at all. Kitten _hummed_ as she considered the woman while Kagome fought her blush and swiftly stripped her clothing off. She quickly sank beneath the water and let out a happy sigh as the warmth from the spring sank into her bones. Her back itched slightly, a reminder of the tattoo that sat proudly on her back.

“Kagome, I need to talk to you about something,” Sango said softly, causing the girl to turn to her friend. Sango looked nervous and worried, her eyes constantly glancing around to check their surroundings.

“What’s up?” Kagome asked, frowning. She moved over to her friend and grasped Sango’s hands in her own. “You can talk to me about anything.”

“I think we may have screwed up in the future with the jewel,” she suddenly blurted out. Kagome jerked.

“W-what makes you say that?” she demanded. Sango let out a breath.

“Well, recently… I’ve had this voice in my head and it’s been telling me these things about some other world we used to live in. In the future, you know? But a lot of it doesn’t make sense. It doesn’t know what’s going on and neither do I, but the only thing that makes sense is if we screw up with the jewel. Maybe we make the wrong wish or maybe we don’t stop Naraku in time.”

“You’re wrong,” Kitten snapped for Kagome. “Fuck, how long have you been panicking over this?” Sango jerked back in shock, her mouth falling open.

_Can you not do that?_

‘ _She’s needlessly freaking out!’_

_That doesn’t mean you get to use my mouth like a puppet! I am perfectly capable of calming my friend down without your input!_

“You… You have a voice too!” Sango realized. “It’s not just me! I knew it! I would constantly see Sesshoumaru or Inuyasha getting this inward look as if they were conversing with someone in their head. You just did the same!”

‘ _Must be part of her Dominant nature.’_

“Yes, I do,” Kagome said. “But the situation is not what you think. Maybe it’d be better if Kitten explained things to you. She’s a lot better at it.” Sango blinked, her eyes getting a distant look for a moment.

“My voice would like to be able to speak to Kitten. But is it really okay to allow this?” She seemed worried. Kagome nodded.

“Yeah. It’s… Honestly, it’s still a bit confusing for me. But it’s fine to allow her to take control for a little bit. And if she tries to keep control, you can take it back by force. I doubt you’ll need to though.” She gave a shrug. “I’ve seen a little bit of that Sango in Kitten’s memories and she doesn’t seem like the kind of person who would try and force control from you.”

‘ _Thank you…’_

Kitten waited anxiously as Sango took a deep breath. Then the knowing gaze that rested upon her was all-too-familiar and she threw her arms around the woman. Sango embraced her back tightly, squeezing her just a touch too hard.

“I saw Hojo in the modern world,” Kitten said swiftly. “He’s fine but slightly panicked about the whole thing. He never got his memories adjusted or anything, so it’s been kind of a slap in the face for him. He said he’s going to see if he can track down Garret though using social media.”

“That’s good,” Sango agreed, her eyes looking sad. “That’s good…” She shook her head, clearly needing to physically shake off the depressing thought of never seeing her friends again: with two trapped in the feudal era and two trapped in the modern era with no way for either side to intersect again. “But explain to me what happened. Because one moment I’m curling up in bed and the next I’m trapped in this girl’s mind, surrounded by all her memories. And they are not pretty memories.”

“Okay, so, remember my sister Kikyou?”

Kitten explained everything to Sango, not bothering to leave a single bit out. Everything from when her three friends departed back to Chicago, all the way up until now. She added in the explanation about her family and their role with the jewel, including the jewel’s end goal. She spilled all of it, ending up as a shaking and sobbing mess in her friend’s arms.

“So now, I don’t know how I’m supposed to fix this. But I know I have to. If I get it wrong though, I only succeed in dooming Sota to the same fate and lose the chance of saving Kikyou forever.” She shook her head. “How am I supposed to get rid of that accursed thing and get my sister back _and_ fix the world all with one wish? I don’t even know if it’s safe to wish on it in the first place! Grandpa always told us not to, no matter what. Even if we think we figured it out. Kikyou was the smart one! She was the perfect daughter! She was the one who was trained to handle this burden!” Her voice dropped to barely above a whisper. “I was always just the spare…” If even her perfect sister hadn’t figured it out, how could she be expected to?

“You’re not the spare,” Sango said. “If the jewel didn’t view you as a threat, it never would’ve created this elaborate world. It simply would have just done the bare minimum to remove Kikyou. By doing all this, it proves you are a threat to its end goal of becoming free to cause whatever chaos it wants upon any being that finds it. It wants you like this, panicked and unable to think clearly.” Her thumbs rubbed under Kitten’s eyes, wiping away the tears as the younger woman glanced up at her. “The first step is to prove to the jewel that its initial plan in fulfilling Kikyou’s wish didn’t work. Kagome needs to let Inuyasha go. Once that hurdle is accomplished, we can set forth in slowly dismantling this false world.”

“Dismantling it?”

Sango nodded. “Yes. If this Sango’s memories are correct, then Kouga and Naraku are wandering about. They’re probably trapped in false memories as I was. We should focus on freeing them.” She gave a grin. “I can only imagine how freaked out Naraku is going to be when he comes to. That poor boy… Did you know he adopted a _third_ stray right after you left?”

Kitten let out a laugh, rubbing at her face. “Sounds like him.”

_My entire world-view of my arch-nemesis is being shattered…_

“And Kouga! To discover he’s been forced to pine away after a girl he had a bad break-up with! His pride is going to be so beautifully bruised.”

_I’m okay with that one._

‘ _You and me both.’_

“But how are we going to convince Naraku?” she asked, a thought occurring to her. “Kouga won’t be too difficult. He’s a stubborn jackass. But the Naraku here is a lot more… Driven than our Naraku. I can’t see my Naraku facing off in a mental game and beating his opponent through sheer force as Inuyasha had to do.” Sango was quiet for a moment, thinking. Her gaze got that distant look again, a sign she was speaking to her other self.

_Well, Hojo’s clue was his tattoo,_ Kagome suggested. _Does Naraku have a tattoo like that?_

‘ _I don’t know,’_ Kitten admitted. _‘I’ve never seen him without clothes on. He isn’t into exhibitionism and Sango’s the only person from our group that has ever played with him.’_ Kitten’s gaze focused on her friend, who looked determined. _‘If anyone can figure it out, it’s her.’_

Sango suddenly snapped. “Of course! Thank you, darling, that was wonderful advice.” Kitten cocked her head to the side. “The darling girl told me that Naraku here supposedly has a large spider brand on his back.” Kitten nodded. “Only our Naraku doesn’t have a spider _brand_. He has an intricate spider tattoo on his back. It’s done in 3D style, and I always pout when I have to mar it with red lashes. If that hasn’t tipped him off yet, then it’s very likely he did what Kagome did and never bothered to look in the past month. Perhaps because it’s on his back, the jewel made him not want to look. Kagome didn’t even notice her own tattoo until my Sango pointed it out to her. Hojo had no choice but to see his because of its placement.” She sighed. “Now I wish I had gotten that Chicago Bears tattoo on my thigh like I’d planned.”

“Probably best that you didn’t.” Kitten gave her friend a bright smile. “I love you dearly, but you’re a lover and not a fighter. If you didn’t get the false memories, you’d have no knowledge on how to protect yourself.”

“True enough. Though… Didn’t Kouga have a tattoo himself?” Kitten froze. Sango tapped her chin as she thought back. “Yes, he did. I’m certain. I didn’t see it that often because he didn’t like taking his shirt off when he played in the club. But wasn’t it a tattoo of a wolf on his hip?”

“It was…”

_Wait, if Kouga has a visible tattoo and the tattoos—something the jewel can’t erase—are the key to either keeping your memories or getting them back…_

‘ _Then why is it that three weeks ago, a full week after the world was reset, did Kouga continue to act like nothing was wrong?’_

~ ~ ~

“We need to sort some things out,” Sango stated as she dressed. Kitten gave a nod.

“I agree. I assume this is going to be in front of everyone, else you wouldn’t be requested I clothe myself,” she replied, earning a strangled sound from Kagome in her head. That girl was too innocent.

“Precisely. If extra eyes and minds weren’t a necessity, I would happily stare at your naked body all night long.” Sango gave a small sigh as she glanced over at Kitten. “It truly is God’s gift to the world.”

“Pervert.”

“I wear the title with pride.”

‘ _Are you sure you’re comfortable with me being in control for so long?’_

_All of this is way over my head. You’re the one with all the knowledge about everything._

‘ _Any time you want your opinion known, just tell me and I’ll take a step back.’_

Sango and Kitten walked back to the main group, most of whom looked to Kitten with concern on their faces. Sango gave Kitten a nod and nudged her forward.

“It’s wonderful to meet some of you, those I didn’t previously know.” She gave a swift bow, earning confused looks from Shippo, Miroku, Rin, and Jaken. “My name is Higurashi Kagome, but you guys can call me Kitten. It’s to avoid confusion.” Then, for the third time that night, she launched into the explanation.

“It’s all true,” Sango confirmed when she finished. She gave a small wave herself. “I’m Sango Holloway and I was born and raised in Chicago. I have absolutely no idea how to fight demons, but I do consider myself pretty good with ropes.” Inuyasha groaned at that before standing up and jerking a thumb at himself.

“’Sup? I’m Inuyasha. Born and raised in Tokyo, Japan. Been a half-demon all my life, raised by my slightly psychotic and very judgmental mother. Was engaged to Higurashi Kikyou until everything went to shit. I ain’t got a clue on how to swing a sword around, but I do know how to control my demon side. Your turn asshole.” He slumped back against his tree. Said asshole rolled his eyes, but stood.

“I am Sesshoumaru. I’ve lived for quite a long time. I was roughly six hundred years old when Inuyasha was born. I own a company. I know how to battle. And I have lain a very firm claim on Kitten, with her consent.” He sat back down.

“I was willing to believe this was all a prank until Sesshoumaru said something,” Miroku mumbled. He rubbed his temples and Kitten’s eyes locked onto his hand. Something she and Sango had briefly discussed came to mind. The jewel being unable to alter things that are permanent, such as tattoos. She and Sango both confirmed that various scars they’d accumulated were also still there, though the false memories gave them a different reason for being there. Such as the scar on Sango’s back from a surgery she’d gotten as a teenager was now apparently due to her younger brother trying to kill her. A wind tunnel seemed like it could fall under ‘something permanent.’

“When was the last time you used your wind tunnel Miroku?” Kitten asked. He blinked at her but considered his hand.

“Uh, probably when we had to face off against that one demon with all the snakes.”

“That was over a month ago.”

“So?”

“That would’ve been before the world reset, therefore making it a false memory that didn’t happen. Why haven’t you used it since?” He frowned.

“The next battle we were in involved Naraku’s poisonous insects, so I couldn’t use it. And it’s been pretty calm since then.”

_Please, tell me you’re right._ Kitten stood and walked over to him, grasping his wrist in her hand and gripping the prayer beads.

“Are you stupid?!” he shouted, trying to yank his hand away, but Kitten kept a firm grip. She stretched her reiki out like a lash, gripping his arm to keep him still.

“I’m not going to get hurt,” she told him firmly. He shook his head, panic in his gaze.

“You don’t know that!”

“Inuyasha, sit boy.” Miroku’s head snapped over to where Inuyasha continued to lean against the tree, casually inspecting his nails. The beads were still around his neck. “Trust me.” He grit his teeth and shut his eyes, turning his head away. Kitten took the prayer beads in hand and gently removed them from around his wrist before dropping them on the ground. Then she pulled the glove away.

Her fingers brushed over the smooth palm of his hand.

“I think this would explain the narrative the jewel set for you,” she said softly. He peeked his eyes open and stared down at what she portrayed on the back of his hand. A skull tattoo. His mouth fell open before he clutched at his head, crying out as memories came rushing back.

“This is… Insane…” he gasped out. “This can’t be real!” Then he slumped forward into Kitten’s arms, struggling to breathe. She hushed him and smoothed back his hair, her reiki bouncing forward to swirl further into his body. She brushed it around his mind, making sure her stunt didn’t have any lasting damage to his mental state.

“It’s all going to be okay,” she promised gently, pressing a kiss on the top of his head. He didn’t respond as he clung to her and sobbed.

“My father is dead in this world…” His eyes lifted to look into hers. “Please, save him.”

~ ~ ~

“So this is what we’ve got thus far,” Sango said firmly. She pointed to either side of the notebook she borrowed from Kagome’s things. At the top of one page, she had written ‘Human’ and ‘Demon’ with a line separating them. On the next page was ‘Modern Era’ and ‘Feudal Era.’

“What language is that?” Shippo asked, staring at the pages. Sango pressed her lips tightly together.

“English. Look, my ass isn’t fluent in Japanese. Ignore the fact that I’m clearly speaking it now, I don’t get how it all works, but this Sango can’t write and I can only write in English and—”

“I’ll rewrite it all in Japanese,” Kitten broke in, grabbing a second pencil. She swiftly wrote the proper kanji beside the words. Sango gave a huff but continued.

“Demons that we know of: Kagura, Naraku, Sesshoumaru, Inuyasha, Kouga.” She wrote the names swiftly as she spoke, placing them firmly on the demon side. “Humans that we know of: Myself, Kagome, Hojo, Garret, and now Miroku.” She moved onto the next page. “Let’s keep this simple. In the Modern Era, we have Hojo, probably Garret, and Kagome. Everyone else has been shoved in the Feudal Era. Why? What makes these three so different from the rest of us?”

“They’re all human,” Sesshoumaru stated. Sango nodded and wrote that in as a note.

“We all have large tattoos that can’t be covered up or explained away,” Kitten added in. It was noted down.

“Anything else?” Sango asked.

“They knew each other personally,” Miroku suggested. “Though I suppose if the entire world was reset, that doesn’t necessarily mean much. Considering I didn’t know any of you personally a month ago. I’d only run into Sango and Kagome a couple of times at the club. After Kagome moved back to Japan, I became more ingrained in Naraku’s friend group, but I didn’t really mix with your tight-knit group often.” Sango noted it regardless.

“This suggests that the demons or any with demon blood were forced into this era without a care while the humans were given more thought and attention.” If it was possible, Sesshoumaru sounded irked by this.

“Why? Why give such care to the humans? Why try and force any who had a connection to Kagome into this era? Why stick her in the modern era just to bring her back here?” Kitten chewed on her lip as she contemplated this. It didn’t make sense.

_But I wasn’t placed in the Modern Era, not really._ Kitten jumped at Kagome’s comment. _If the world was reset a month ago, and all prior memories are false, then I was placed here with all of them. My family was placed in the Modern Era without_ _me._

“Holy shit, you’re right,” Kitten gasped. Everyone frowned at her and she swiftly crossed her name off the side of Modern Era and placed it under Feudal Era. She added her family’s name in the modern section. She quickly explained what Kagome pointed out to her.

Inuyasha frowned. “But why? What makes Kagome so different and special?”

“Idiot Inuyasha,” Shippo said, rolling his eyes. “Weren’t you paying attention? ‘Gome is the current holder of the jewel. It couldn’t just stick her elsewhere. But if she messes up, it goes to her little brother.”

“Oh!” Rin clapped her hands together in excitement. “So if the jewel goes to Sota, then that means it ends up with people who don’t know how to properly protect it if Kagome is stuck here! That means the jewel can be free to manipulate him in order to become free from the Higurashi family!” The two kids high-fived. The adults stared.

“Why do all of this then?” Inuyasha demanded. “Why create this huge narrative about jewel shards and such when it just needs to get Kagome to make a wish and mess it up?”

“Stories are fun!” Rin said brightly.

“And the more things it adds in to complicate everything, the better chance of Kagome making a mistake,” Miroku pointed out. “Imagine if her memories hadn’t come back in the form of Kitten. She likely would’ve ended up killing some of her closest friends in Kagura and Naraku. Imagine if she lost some of us along the way. The jewel has so much more to tempt her with. It would’ve been perfect.”

“If not for my Inu Kami tattoo…” She reached back and brushed her fingers down her back. Her lips stretched in a small smile. “Seems the Inu Kami truly did protect me.” Sesshoumaru frowned.

“Inu Kami? Your tattoo is clearly of an Inu Youkai.” She shook her head at him.

“No, it’s of my family’s protector. The Inu Kami. He’s known for being a protector of mikos. He even saved my grandfather’s life once. It’s why he carries the bow in his mouth, as he believes the best way to protect mikos is to encourage them to first protect themselves. My tattoo is an almost exact copy of the painting my grandfather had. I got it to honor him.”

“Then why does he look like Milord?” Rin asked.

“Coincidence?”

“Hn.”

“We’re getting off-topic,” Miroku cut in. “Let’s discuss the matter at hand. All of this suggests simply that us here that are directly involved in this battle for the jewel were placed because we had some form of connection to Kagome before, no matter how small.”

“I wanna remember a different world…” Shippo muttered. Kitten gave him a sympathetic look, understanding how the young kit may be feeling a bit left out.

“Keh. We don’t know your trigger kid,” Inuyasha said, waving a hand. “Clearly you didn’t know Kagome well enough ‘cause her tattoo didn’t do shit for you. Besides, consider yourself lucky that you ain’t gotta sit through an argument with your kid self.” He smirked. “Fuck yeah I just called you a kid. You act like a little shit who don’t know how to control his temper.”

“And you do?” Kitten shot at him. He grinned widely but didn’t reply.

“Maybe Rin and Shippo knew each other,” Rin suggested brightly. “And maybe we also knew Jaken!” Inuyasha frowned at that.

“Why does Jaken sound familiar?” he wondered, rubbing his chin. Kitten cocked her head and considered it. It did sound vaguely familiar… _‘Oh Kami no.’_

“Jaken… As in Jaken-sensei…” she said softly, paling. “I tried so hard to forget that year…” Jaken squawked at her, looking confused. Her brain tried to picture the little toad as the jerk of a history teacher who enjoyed singling out her and Inuyasha in their first year of high school. Her mind simply couldn’t picture the tall man with dark brown hair that was trimmed neatly against his scalp, bright brown eyes that looked deceptively yellow in the right light, small rectangle glasses perched just right, strong jaw… Her female friends had all swooned over him. How? Why?

“How the _fuck_ did you manage to make yourself look like _that_?!” Inuyasha demanded, pointing at Jaken and looking appalled. Jaken looked confused.

“What are you talking about half-demon? Look like what?” he demanded loudly.

“Never mind looks!” Kitten broke in. “How did he manage to make his voice _sound_ like that?!” Jaken-sensei’s voice was deep and smooth, sure of himself in all ways. She could almost feel her soul giving up and leaving her body. Her classmates had been crushing on Jaken. _Jaken_.

“As amusing as this entire thing is…” Sango cut in, snapping attention back onto her with the grace that only Kitten’s Sango knew how to do. “We should finish up this discussion. The entire reason I wanted to get everything figured out and worked out like this is to give us sufficient information to make a decent plan on snapping Naraku back to his senses so we may retrieve the jewel.”

“The most likely explanation for Hojo and Garret to be in the modern era with Kagome’s family seems simple enough now,” Sesshoumaru stated, glancing down at the papers. “The jewel was trying to make sure those who would be able to easily bring forth memories would be separate from the rest of us. Garret has a tattoo of a snake curling up his leg. That would be hard to explain away or hide. Hojo has a tattoo on his shoulder, which was also clearly too much of a challenge to hide or explain away. Both are assuredly human.”

“Right. Number one priority definitely seems like keeping this illusion up for as long as possible,” Miroku agreed. “It needed Kagome’s family away to strengthen the divide.” He sat back on his hands as his eyes got a distant look for a moment. “Hm, valid. Had Hojo or Garret not had such obvious tattoos, it's very likely that one of them would’ve been in my place instead. Just an interesting bit of food for thought.”

“How does this help us beat some sense into this Naraku guy then?” Inuyasha demanded. “We get the end goal of the jewel and we get why it did the things it did. It wanted to create a story, needed to keep Kagome away from her family for as long as possible, and didn’t want anyone to remember jack shit. So now what?”

“Things that are permanent are key,” Sango said simply. “Give your body a glance over. Any scars that you had before have been carried over with a new explanation for it. Everything down to the smallest of things. So we need to place Naraku in a position to where he is forced to look upon his own tattoo.”

“But that won’t be enough,” Kitten argued. “At best, it’ll make him like us. Stuck as a separate entity in his own body. The current Naraku would have to be made to accept the new reality in its entirety—as Kagura did—in order for it to stick.”

“So force him to make a wish on the jewel,” Sesshoumaru stated as if it were obvious. Kitten stared at him. He stared back. “You said the jewel is still under the protection of the Higurashi family. Only the current protector of the jewel may wish upon it, correct?” She nodded. “So if he were to make a wish, nothing would happen. The jewel still needs to go through you and Sota before it may be free to be wished upon by anyone. If that’s not enough to force him to accept this new reality, then he’s simply just insane.”

“It may also be enough for us to fully accept this new reality as well,” Miroku pointed out. “We’ve been desperate to get to the jewel before him to _keep_ him from wishing upon it.” His expression softened. “Regardless of anything, we need to try. I won’t leave him alone in the hellhole of whatever memories he’s stuck in.”

“Then we have a plan,” Kitten agreed. Sango nodded and snapped the notebook shut.

~ ~ ~

Kagome sat at the edge of the village after everyone had gone to bed, staring up at the stars as she thought. Kitten had accepted her request for privacy and had seemingly either dived into a memory of her own or was just really good at pretending to not be there.

She knew that Kitten wasn’t lying anymore. She knew Kitten wasn’t some Naraku scheme. But it was still hard for her to accept that her entire life had been a lie. It seemed foolish. In her own memories—fabricated as they were—she had willingly risked her life to save Kikyou. Even if it wasn’t real, it felt real enough. She was willing to accept the end of herself for Kikyou, so why was she so unwilling to accept the end of herself for herself? Why was it so different? Why was she so willing to sacrifice her life for others, but not for herself? _I guess this just feels selfish in a way._ She rested her cheek on her knees and sighed.

After they’d figured out their primary game plan, the group had talked further over dinner. Those who remembered their other lives took the time to fully introduce themselves and talk about their lives. She wasn’t certain about her friends, but Kitten had made sure she was there for everything. She learned everything about this new Sango, Miroku, and Inuyasha. Sesshoumaru was a bit more tight-lipped about his life, but he expressed that hardly anything that they currently knew about him would be different. He was alive during this time period previously, after all. Inuyasha and Kitten even shared some information with Jaken about what they could recall of him. Kagome smiled at that, trying to picture Jaken as a school teacher for teenagers. And a hot one too, if Kitten’s memories were accurate.

Everyone was able to talk so smoothly. Despite obvious tension from Inuyasha towards everyone barring Kitten, it went off without a hitch. And Kagome was able to truly see what it was that Kitten had been fighting for. It wasn’t just this selfish idea of self or even just the lost chance to explore a potential future with Sesshoumaru. It was also the lives of her friends that had been torn apart simply because she and her sister suffered a horrid falling out over something so ridiculous. No one outside the parameters of the wish was supposed to be affected, but the jewel took advantage of Kikyou’s loose request and twisted a new world that best suited its goals towards freedom. Hearing the somber tone of Sango as she recalled how she and Hojo met, and how their particular relationship together worked. Watching Miroku’s face tighten in pain as he spoke of his time spent with Naraku. Seeing Inuyasha stare blindly off into the distance as he softly told them of the dreams he and Kikyou shared. Even Sesshoumaru was not above showing emotion as he winced when he was reminded of his friend left behind in Garret.

And Kitten felt all their pain. Her reiki seemed to weave out on its own and touch everyone as they spoke. Whenever sorrow hinted across their features, her power was there to offer them an understanding gesture, to share in their pain with them. It was like she couldn’t help herself but take their pain upon her shoulders as if it were her who caused all of this and not her sister’s mistake. What hurt the most—to Kagome in any case—was how easily Kitten wielded her reiki. Whereas Kagome could only make good use of it to sense demonic presence or as a weapon, Kitten used it like an extra appendage. She healed, she touched, she extended it outwards. In her hands, it was part of her that was fierce. Kagome had never seen anything like it before. It reminded Kagome of a demon wielding its youki. With purpose. Kitten never used it without reason, and she also managed to use it while keeping tight control over how much energy she expanded to use it. Even Sesshoumaru and Inuyasha were shocked at her skill with it, but she laughed them off and simply claimed that the control came from centuries of knowledge and a lifetime of practice.

“Why are you so troubled miko?” Kagome glanced over her shoulder to see Sesshoumaru standing there with a blank expression on his face. Her mind auto-filled in a certain scene of her on her knees before him with his cock in her mouth. He frowned slightly. “Why are you suddenly so embarrassed at This Sesshoumaru’s presence?” _Oh! He’s my Sesshoumaru. Gah! No! Don’t consider him yours dummy!_

“Nothing! It’s nothing!” she squeaked, hiding her burning cheeks behind her hands. A low growl escaped his lips, even as his face remained impassive. Somehow that was more terrifying than if he outwardly showed his displeasure at her answer. She gulped. “Just feeling awkward! I mean, you probably feel a bit violated too right? I mean with Kitten and all, not having any say on that. Especially with your feelings towards humans!”

“It does not matter,” he stated, trapping her gaze in his. “False memories or not, This Sesshoumaru has decided on what to do with the matter. This one only waits for you to come to the correct decision.”

“What correct decision?”

His lips quirked in the smallest of smirks. “This one wonders which memory, in particular, you must have stumbled upon to cause such a reaction at the sight of him.” In a flash, he was suddenly right in front of her on one knee. A clawed hand trailed against the side of her neck, causing a tingle to shoot across her scalp. “And if you’d be willing to demonstrate how much you’d managed to learn.”

Anger flashed through Kagome like a whip. _He’s teasing me! At a time like this?! Well, two can play at this game!_ She snorted and jerked her head away from his grasp, earning a look of shock. “Like you would be the one to ask if I did anything correctly. I would have to ask the _other_ Sesshoumaru. Or Hojo, if memory serves.”

“You play with fire miko,” he snarled, eyes flashing red.

“I play with nothing. You’re the one poking your nose where it doesn’t belong!” She jabbed her finger into his chest, making sure to avoid his shoulder piece in all its spiky glory. “If I want to experiment with my body, I _certainly_ wouldn’t ask you. I’d ask someone my own age! Hojo seems to be more than willing to take up the mantle. And I bet he could kiss so much better than you!”

“ _Mine_ ,” he hissed, claws elongating as his marks became jagged. Kagome blinked as his eyes became overtaken by the red. His fangs snapped at her. “You’d best run little miko.”

Kagome took him at face value and ran.

She would never be able to fully explain why she chose to run _further_ into the woods rather than towards the village. Nor would she be able to fully explain why she never felt truly scared. Sure her heart was pounding, and there was a bit of fear that slithered up her spine, but she felt almost… Excited. She pushed him for a rise and she got exactly what she asked for.

“I was going to leave you in peace this night little miko,” his voice taunted from around the forest. She bit her lip and moved around a tree, fighting off a slightly crazed grin. “But you smell so good, so really you’re the one to blame.”

Her reiki sparked up in warning towards her left and she swiftly erected a barrier—just as Kitten taught her—watching in amusement when he slammed against it. He snarled slightly before his eyes caught hers again. That amused smirk returned to his lips as the red slowly left his eyes. He trailed a single claw down along her barrier teasingly.

“Do you enjoy being chased little miko?” His tone was full of promise that caused her to bite her lip. If he caught her, he was going to have her. That was a fact. She could keep this barrier up and make her way back to the village. Or…

She turned away from him and ran deeper into the forest, dropping the barrier after about twenty seconds. Kami _yes_ she was enjoying this chase. Part of her never wanted it to end, but another part of her couldn’t wait to be caught.

At a sound from her right, she veered towards the left. A sound from the left? She was moving right. She realized quickly that he was deliberately herding her somewhere and she stumbled into his trap happily. She was suddenly in a small clearing in the forest and Sesshoumaru immediately swept her off her feet. She gave a halfhearted struggle before his lips claimed hers without mercy. Apparently, he found that she didn’t part her own lips for him quick enough, so he nipped them and took advantage of her squeak to thrust his tongue into her mouth. Her toes curled and she clung to him as she kissed him back, trying to use her tongue as skillfully as Kitten had done.

His claws tangled in her hair and he jerked her head back, exposing her neck fully to him. She gasped for breath as his eyes seemed to devour her, a blush rising on her cheeks at his gaze. He no longer seemed rushed, just intent on memorizing every aspect of her like this.

“What memory was it?” he asked before licking up her neck. She squirmed in his arms. It felt like he was tasting his meal for the night.

“She was giving you—erm _him—_ a blowjob,” Kagome confessed breathlessly. His head moved back up and he gave her a confused look.

“Blow… Job?”

She snorted out a laugh, even as her blush intensified. “It’s when you s-suck someone’s c-cock.”

Understanding lit up in his eyes. “Ah. Oral stimulation. This one believes he would be more than happy to discover what you learned from such a memory.” Her cheeks felt as though they were on fire. But she wanted to try. She could remember the sense of pride Kitten had felt when she’d brought her own Sesshoumaru to orgasm with simply her mouth and hands. Kagome wanted to feel that too. She wanted to bring him pleasure and then have him take her in his arms and whisper about how amazing she was, how beautiful she was.

She knelt before him and fumbled with his hakama for a moment, struggling to get his cock free. And once it was… She gulped. Oddly it seemed so much _smaller_ in the memory. Granted, that was likely due to Kitten’s cognition and not being surprised by the size in the memory, so it didn’t calculate. Kagome shook off her nerves and carefully grasped his cock in her hand. _How did she start again? Right_.

She placed her tongue near the base and licked up towards the head slowly, trying not to make a face at the taste. It definitely did _not_ taste the same. But she had to be doing at least a partially good job because Sesshoumaru gave a small groan. Her lips wrapped around the head and she gently sucked, pumping her hand slowly. His hands made their way into her hair, claws dragging across her scalp. She carefully worked him into her mouth, swirling her tongue over him.

“Faster,” he snarled. She obliged, rising up higher on her knees to move her head up and down his cock. She did her best to mimic Kitten’s actions from the memory, but it was hard to remember exactly what Kitten had done while performing the act herself.

‘ _Holy shit, relax your jaw before you injure yourself.’_ Kagome jumped slightly at the sound of Kitten in her head, her blush returning with a fury.

_W-what?! Go away!_

‘ _Hell no. You’re liable to harm yourself in this position or harm him. The dick is a man’s most sensitive area and needs to be handled with finesse. Now relax your damned jaw.’_ Kagome mentally grumbled at the mental intrusion but did as Kitten said and relaxed her jaw as best she could. _‘Good. Now ease up, cup your tongue under his cock as you move your head and every time you come up to the head, run your tongue around it before sucking.’_

_But he told me to go faster!_

‘ _He’s not the one with a cock in his mouth. He doesn’t get to decide how fast you go unless he wants to simply take the reins and fuck your mouth. Look, when I was learning how to do this the guy I was with was giving me proper instruction and taking into account the fact that I had no clue as to what the fuck I was doing. You clearly aren’t gonna get that here. So just remember to breathe and listen to me. Is that alright?’_

_I… I guess._

‘ _Good girl. Now relax the back of your throat best you can. Ease him down… Just like that good. Now suck hard.’_ Kagome followed Kitten’s instructions to a T and was rewarded when Sesshoumaru snarled in satisfaction, hips thrusting forward and hands tightening in her hair. _‘Squeeze a bit more with your hand, nice. Bring your other hand up to cup his balls. Carefully now, we don’t want to castrate him. Don’t be afraid to explore, just be gentle.’_ Kagome took her time, feeling the weight of his balls in her hand and rolling them between her fingers. His cock twitched in her mouth as she dipped her head down again. _‘He’s almost there. Do not, I repeat, do not swallow. It’s your first time and you’re liable to choke yourself. Don’t repeat my mistakes padawan…’_ Kagome couldn’t stop a slight giggle at Kitten’s serious tone while making such a reference, the sound vibrating through her vocal chords. Sesshoumaru growled as he exploded in her mouth. She, again, followed Kitten’s advice and pulled her head off his cock, spitting onto the ground. Then her eyes moved up to look at his face.

He was breathing heavily and his skin had a slightly red hue. His eyes were closed as he seemed to struggle to gain his composure again. Once his composure was regained, his hands moved out of her hair and he smoothed his hair back before putting himself back in order.

“The experience was… Enjoyable,” he stated blandly. Kagome blinked. “This one thanks you.” She just stared at him, mouth slightly parted. He frowned at her. “Do you require This Sesshoumaru to return the favor?”

She shook her head slowly before getting to her feet and brushing herself off. Her fingers shakily pulled her handkerchief from her pocket and she wiped her mouth carefully. Then she turned on her heel and quickly began walking back towards the village, feeling like her heart was being stomped on. She struggled to hold back tears as she compared the reactions. Kitten’s Sesshoumaru had stared at her in pure awe and appreciation before pulling the woman into his arms. Kagome got a bland appreciation and a ‘thank you.’

‘ _Fucking dick weed.’_

_It’s fine. I’m just not that practiced. He’s probably had better._

‘ _It doesn’t matter if you were the best of the best or a total noob. You didn’t have to give that to him. You did and got nothing in return, not even a smile. And that pathetic do you_ require _me to return the favor? Lay the fuck off dude. Next time he asks, bite it off. Teach him to act like an ice prince…’_ Kagome smiled slightly as Kitten continued to mutter angrily. At least she had one ally, even if it was technically herself.

~ ~ ~

Sesshoumaru frowned, confused at the smell of sadness emitting from the miko.

‘ _I’m properly ashamed of myself. Been a while since that happened.’_

_This one does not understand. He thanked her and informed her that she did well, and offered to give her the same pleasure. Why is she sad?_

‘ _No, you said it was enjoyable, gave her a bland thank you, then asked if she required a return investment.’_

_Return investment?_ His other self scoffed. He found himself getting frustrated. He didn’t understand what he did to cause his desired mate such sadness and he wanted to fix the situation. He didn’t like the smell of sour rain coming from her. But no one was telling him what he did wrong.

‘ _It’s like this: she chose to go on her knees for you. She chose to take you in her mouth. That takes a lot of trust for a woman because it places her in a very vulnerable position in which you are looming over her and she is getting nothing in return at that moment._ _After a woman does such an act for another, she is often left in a vulnerable place mentally. This was her first time and she needed recognition that she did well and you are happy. Putting on your mask and acting like it didn’t have any effect on you hurt her feelings.’_

_Then how do I resolve this?_

‘ _Normally, I’d say to go to her and explain that you were unaware of how to process it. But I’ve a feeling it isn’t going to be so easy here.’_

_Why?_

‘ _Because my kitten is the one who’s currently stopped and is now coming back with a vengeance. Good luck.’_

~ ~ ~

Kitten refused to stand for this. Kagome tried to talk her out of it, but Kitten had gotten the upper-hand in that argument easily. No one was going to make her younger self feel like trash after her first time giving a man head. If he didn’t get how he fucked up, Kitten was going to explain it to him slowly and carefully so his little doggie ears could fucking understand her.

“Hey shit for brains!” she snapped as she stormed back into the clearing. She stopped at the edge and crossed her arms, glaring at him. He gave her an annoyed look. “If you don’t like something about what just happened, then don’t bother asking Kagome for it. Ever again.”

“This one doesn’t like your tone.”

“And _this one_ doesn’t like how you just trampled all over another girl’s feelings!” He hissed out a breath, hands clenching.

“This one does not understand what he did wrong. In this time, such acts are transactional. This one informed the miko that she did well, thanked her for the gift she bestowed, and offered to return the favor. I wasn’t aware there was something else I needed to do.” He stopped himself short and checked his language use. “This one did not mean to hurt her feelings.”

“Lay the fuck off it with the ‘This one’ and ‘This Sesshoumaru’ bullshit.” She rolled her eyes. “It’s just you and me here buddy. You can drop the holier-than-thou shit.” She thumped a hand against her chest. “Kagome is _hurt_. You wanna know _exactly_ what you did wrong and what she was expecting in return? Maybe ask my Sesshoumaru to see that exact scene you wanted her to play out for you.” She barred her teeth at him. “If that’s the way women are treated in this era, then I’m beyond glad I didn’t live in it.”

“Fine. This… _I_ will request to see the memory.”

“And tell dog boy to only show you the end.” She huffed. “I don’t want you to get to enjoy this mouth again so soon.” His eyes flashed red, but he didn’t respond beyond a slight growl. Then he was frowning, shaking his head.

“My other self does not know how to place me in the memory.”

“Oh for fuck’s sake. Are all youkai this helpless?”

“Are all humans this disrespectful?” She ignored that and stomped over to him, grabbing the front of his shirt… Thing… And yanked him down in order to place her hands on either side of his head.

“Close your eyes and recall that morning Sesshoumaru,” she said gently, allowing her voice to slip into a soothing tone. “Remember the feeling after I’d finished having my way with you. Bring it to the forefront of your mind.” Her reiki eased out carefully, moving slow enough to not trigger his youki. Then it seeped into his mind and guided his youki to help her wrap the correct Sesshoumaru in the memory. “Picture it enveloping him and surrounding him. Let him experience it.” Sesshoumaru slowly opened his eyes, giving her a slight smile.

“It worked.” Then his smile fell and he glared at her. “I do not appreciate being called dog boy Kitten.”

“Well, I was angry. And you should’ve given him assistance. You’re as much to blame in my book.” She removed her hands and glared at him. “I gave Kagome assistance.” He raised a brow and considered her.

“Interesting. I did not realize you were into voyeurism.” She flushed.

“It wasn’t like that! He clearly wasn’t going to give her proper instruction! Girl was likely going to hurt her jaw doing it like that…” He seemed amused, the bastard.

“Are you speaking from personal experience little kitten?”

“Perhaps!”

“And so am I when I tell you that I don’t take direction well. At least, not when I was this young. I was much different back then. Any slight bit of weakness shown would be exploited and used against me.” He ran a knuckle across her jaw, giving her a gentle look. “You should know better than most that nothing is ever just black and white.” She deflated and nodded, leaning into his touch.

“I feel like we never get moments like this,” she whispered. He gave her a confused look. “Just moments of peace, enjoying each other’s presence.”

“I think our night spent together and breakfast following that certainly should qualify as moments of peace.” He pressed his lips gently to her forehead. “Even if the world was torn asunder afterwards, it certainly cannot be ignored.”

“I suppose you’re right. Just promise me something.”

“Hn.”

“If I fail… If I fuck it all up…” She couldn’t bare to look at him, her arms reaching up to wrap around his neck. “Promise me that you’ll do your best to reach Sota and protect him.”

“…I will do what needs to be done.”

She nodded, resting her head against his chest. “That’s all I need.”

~ ~ ~

“ _What do you mean you’re moving to America?” Kikyou demanded, staring at me with a pained expression on her face. I calmly sipped my tea, trying my hardest to keep my composure and stick to my guns._

“ _I got a job offer from a small business in Chicago,” I replied, voice steady. “The owners came to Japan on a business trip and were looking for people who had the necessary math and English skills required to fill the position. It’s decent pay with decent benefits.”_

“ _But you haven’t even gone to college yet! You only completed high school! How do you know this isn’t a scam?”_

“ _I’m not an idiot Kikyou.” I glanced up at her. “I did my research. They’re trying to expand their business into the Japanese market and need someone who is fluent enough in both English and Japanese. They want someone who hasn’t gone through college as they prefer being able to train the person in their own way. It’s actually a common strategy a lot of businesses are employing.”_

“ _But…_ _” Kikyou clenched her hands, giving me a heartbroken look. “I need you here.” At that, I reached over and placed my hand gently upon hers, squeezing it. I offered a smile._

“ _No, you don’t. Kikyou, we both know that I’m never going to be in possession of the jewel. You’re going to have a bunch of babies with w_ _hoever you end up marrying_ _and it will go to your firstborn. You’re just starting your second term in medical school and will be a doctor before you know it. As for the shrine, you’ve got Mom and Sota here to help out.” I pulled my hand away and tipped my head to the side. “I need to be able to spread my wings Kikyou and discover myself. It’s only a three-month trial anyway. If it doesn’t work out and they don’t hire me full-on after the trial period, then I’ll just move back here. Either way, it’s experience.” She sighed and gave a dejected nod before forcing a smile._

“ _Sometimes it truly feels like you’re the older one Kagome,” she said softly, glancing at her hands. I gave a laugh at that._

“ _Don’t take this the wrong way, but I’m glad I’m not. I don’t think I could handle having all the responsibility you do. You’re strong, beautiful, powerful, elegant, and intelligent.” I grinned. “There’s no better protector for that old rock.” Without warning, Kikyou lunged across the table—spilling my tea—and hugged me tightly. I hugged her back, feeling the prickle of tears at the thought of leaving her. But I couldn’t stay. Every moment in this house was a bitter reminder of why I was born in the first place. A spare in case Kikyou failed._ _The painful reminder was dragging me down, filling my head with harsh thoughts. Ever since Grandpa died, Mom had been obsessed with making sure Kikyou was ready when her time eventually came to protect the jewel. She didn’t spare a moment’s notice for me, the forgotten middle child. The spare. I needed a fresh start. I needed to get away from all this. I needed a chance to move on from the ridiculous idea of a magical jewel. My soul was crumbling and taking me further into that black hole with it._

“ _You’re just the same Kagome,” Kikyou breathed in my ear. Her reiki reached out and eased mine out, the two lights—hers pink and mine blue—twisting together in a similar embrace. When she pulled back, she left just a little piece of her reiki in with mine, a skill I’d never quite gotten the hang of. She gave me a tearful smile. “Promise me to feel my reiki every night that you’re gone. Just so I know you haven’t forgotten me.” I nodded, touched. She kissed my forehead. “I’ll always be with you sister. No matter how far you go.”_

_I stood with my back pressed against the wall, my plane tickets tight in hand. I could hear Sota’s harsh words and felt my chest squeezing painfully as tears formed in my eyes._

“ _It’s no wonder she wants to leave while she has the chance,” he was saying snidely. “She wants nothing to do with the jewel or anything priestess-like. She only put up with the training because Grandpa asked her to.”_

“ _Sota!” Mom snapped. “That’s enough.”_

“ _Well, it’s true!” he argued. “She’s a disgrace to mikos everywhere. And she’s the second born? She can’t even figure out how to temper her reiki properly. She all but gave up on training after Grandpa died. I’m glad she’s leaving. Then I won’t have her distracting me while I do my best to learn the ways of a priest.”_

“ _Enough,” Mom stated firmly. “I don’t want to hear another word about this. Your sister is following her fated path for her highest good and that is all I can ask of any of my children. Some of us simply aren’t meant to be mikos and there’s no shame in that.”_

_But there was shame in that. Even my own mother didn’t think I was able to be a strong enough miko to protect the jewel. ‘Some of us simply aren’t meant to be mikos.’ Yeah, I guess that was right. I simply wasn’t meant to be a miko. The jaws of depression opened wide and swallowed me whole a bit more…_

_I laid in my new bed in my new room, struggling to adjust to the new time zone I was currently in. My roommate—as this was a company-owned apartment—seemed to be fast asleep beside me. I, however, was struggling through jet lag. My mother’s words echoed back to me and I clenched my jaw. No one thought I was as good as Kikyou. Everyone saw Kikyou as the better. The better child. The better miko. The better person. The better daughter. I could give up, and give in to the pressure. Stop practicing my reiki and let it all go. Be a normal human woman for once in my life. Or… I could prove them all wrong._

_I called to my reiki and brought it forth, feeling the slight tug of Kikyou’s reiki as I did so. I brought my reiki to my hands in the form of a small ball and took a breath. No, I wouldn’t just give up. I would keep training with it. I would get better and stronger. I’d learn to properly temper it. I’d prove them all wrong. Even if I never needed to use it to protect the jewel, I could utilize it in other ways. I’d make Grandpa proud and show him that he was right to place his faith in me._

_Filled with courage, I pulled my phone out and quickly googled the nearest and cheapest archery range. I couldn’t just keep up with my reiki training. Needed to keep my archery skills up to par too. ‘The best way to protect mikos is to first encourage them to protect themselves.’_

Kagome opened her eyes from the dream of Kitten’s memories, her heart aching at the sadness the woman felt. She had felt so alone and misunderstood at home. And Sota! She couldn’t begin to imagine her little brother saying such things about her. But it was a different life. And even comments that were meant to be comforting ended up doing even more harm. It truly seemed like Kitten only really had the two people in her family that actually believed in her abilities… And both were gone. Her grandfather had died and her sister was taken by the jewel.

Still, Kagome felt proud of the woman. She didn’t allow herself to wallow in her own despair when she moved to America. Instead, she ventured to strengthen herself. She _did_ learn to temper her reiki. She _did_ grow stronger with it. She was amazingly skilled in the art, so much so that Kagome could honestly say that she had never seen another priest or priestess control the spiritual energy as smoothly as Kitten could. The jewel was right to see her as a threat.

Kagome rolled to the side, frowning when her brain finally processed what she’d been lying upon. Soft, fluffy, warm… Her face turned bright red and she sat up, Sesshoumaru’s mokomoko still clinging to her body. Her eyes drifted up to find the daiyoukai watching her with a flicker of amusement in his eyes.

“G-good morning,” she stuttered, trying to fix her hair.

“Good morning miko,” he responded. “This one would like to apologize for the callous way…” He winced slightly and cleared his throat. “ _I_ would like to apologize for the callous way I treated you last night.” He seemed a bit uncomfortable. “It’s hard for me to… Show emotions openly.” She nodded slowly.

“I… I know. I heard when Kitten and the other you were talking. She didn’t tuck me away then. I’m sorry for overreacting. It was just…” She gave him an awkward smile, feeling her blush spreading down her neck. “It was my first time partaking in a sexual act myself. I was unfairly comparing you to a version of yourself that doesn’t exist in this world. So I’m sorry.”

“I would like a chance to remedy my mistake if you’ll allow me.” She frowned in confusion. He gave her a chuckle before pulling her into his lap and wrapping his arms tightly around her. She swore her heart about stopped in her chest. His chin was placed on top of her head and he was making these soft noises at the base of his throat that oddly comforted her. She relaxed into his hold and let herself curl up on his chest, listening to his heartbeat. “You did a wonderful job for your first time, little miko.”

“Um, thanks.”

“It took everything in me not to immediately toss you on the forest floor and cover you with my scent. You drove me and my beast wild with need and desire. All I could think about was having you in any possible way. Of catching you and thrusting myself into you.” Why was his low voice turning her on so much?

“C-can we try something?” she asked quietly, almost too embarrassed to ask.

“Hn.”

“I’d like… To try that BDSM thing that drives Kitten wild,” she admitted. “I don’t quite understand it, but in her memories, it was a large part of her. So I want to experience it. Just a little bit.”

“I’m ashamed to admit it, but that is something I have no experience with.” She glanced up to see him frowning slightly as he considered her proposition. Then his eyes lit up. “But perhaps there is a way for you to safely experience it.” She cocked her head to the side. “If my other half and your other half were to partake in such activities and not shove us away into a memory while they do so, we would be able to feel and experience everything they did.” His eyes flashed suddenly. “It seems almost ridiculous, but I’d rather not allow my other half to have his way with you.”

“That’s… I think I can agree to that.” It was weird, but she shared in his feelings. She also didn’t want Kitten to be the one with this Sesshoumaru either. It was like this one was hers and the other was Kitten’s. As much as Kitten insisted that they were the same person and therefore, her kissing the other Sesshoumaru or Kitten kissing this one would be the same thing as Kitten kissing the other Sesshoumaru and her kissing this one, it still felt like two different people. Maybe that was something they would need to work on if she was ever going to fully accept Kitten and allow herself to become one with the woman. But not now, not yet. Not while she was still trying to explore this fresh and new thing with Sesshoumaru.

“Not now,” Sesshoumaru said sternly. “Right now, I simply desire to hold you in my arms and enjoy the feel of your body pressed against mine.” _Kami, what is it about those words that make me want to give him my virginity?_ She bit her lip and wiggled a bit in his lap in an effort to find a more comfortable position. Her eyes widened as he gave a low growl, feeling him harden beneath her.

She glanced up to see him staring down at her, his eyes giving a very clear warning. ‘Stop moving, or I will be doing exactly as I desired to do last night.’ That was the click. Kitten’s memories concerning her BDSM life referenced it all the time. That click for a person. It was like everything snapped to life for Kagome. Her eyes narrowed slightly and she stared this deadly daiyoukai down as she very deliberately rolled her hips in his lap again, rubbing against his hardness.

“You’re playing a dangerous game little miko,” he warned her darkly, his hands tightening against her arms as he grasped her. She sniffed and tossed her hair over her shoulder, her hands trailing up his chest.

“I like games,” she whispered. “Can you not keep up? I suppose you are rather old.” He growled once more, using his youkai speed and strength to simply force her down onto her back with him hovering over her. His silver hair tickled her cheeks as his beautiful eyes stared down at her. Her arms were held firmly in his hands and she was unable to move or escape. Her breathing picked up as she began to feel herself get wet. Kami, she wanted this man. She wanted him to ravage her as he said he wanted to. She wanted him to make her a woman. She wanted to poke and prod at him until he broke and _made_ her submit to his every whim and desire.

“I will not be gentle,” he threatened. Her inner muscles clenched at the thought, vague memories of him pounding into her with wild abandon in another time tickling at the edge of her brain.

“I don’t want you to be,” she countered, lifting her head slightly to nip at his lips.

“It will hurt at first,” he warned. She huffed, thinking back to when she first lost her virginity. If he was as experienced as he claimed to be, then it would be nothing as bad as that experience.

“I promise, I can handle it. Nothing could be as bad as the first time.” He chuckled at that.

“If you ever want me to stop, need to snap me out of my lust…”

“I’ll say taxes.” His eyes gleamed with satisfaction and she felt her chest fill with pride. Then his mouth was on hers and she was arching herself up into him.

He made good on his threat. After transferring one of her wrists to his other hand, he used his newly freed hand to slice through her shirt and tear it from her body, bra and all. Her nipples tightened at the cool air that washed over them. He didn’t stop there and removed her skirt just as roughly, her panties quickly following. She tugged against his grip and wiggled underneath him, wanting to see him naked as well. He bit her bottom lip harshly in retribution for her struggles, causing a whine to leave her throat. His clothed lower half rubbed against her core, turning her whine into a moan as he teased her on what was to come.

Then his lips left hers and he moved his attention to her neck, kissing and nipping at the tender flesh just under her jawline. She cried out and raised her hips to rub against his. His hand moved down to her core and he found her clit easily, rubbing his fingers against her.

“I need you good and drenched little miko,” he growled in her ear. She panted and licked at her lips. “Now be a good little one and beg for me.”

“Wouldn’t you like that,” she panted out, shoving her hips into his hands. “It’ll take more than… Oh, _Kami_ yes… A little friction to make me beg.” He chuckled darkly and removed his hand from her to bring his fingers to his mouth. He used his fangs to bite off his claws before moving his hand right back down. His fingers entered her and she gasped as they easily found the spot he wanted and began rubbing against it. Her body trembled as she shoved her hips down, eyes rolling upwards. His other hand released her wrists to tighten around her throat as his lips moved to her breasts.

He took one nipple in his mouth and lavished his tongue against it, fangs scraping against her soft skin. Her chest pressed up into his mouth and her hands immediately tangled in his hair. The hand on her throat tightened slightly, cutting off her air before releasing. Everything in her sang in ecstasy at the action. It was like another click. Her neck. He moved over to her other nipple while his thumb rubbed circles around her clit and his fingers inside her urged her upwards. And right before she shattered… He stopped. The rat bastard.

He raised his head and looked down at her with a blank stare. She lay there whining and panting, pleading him with her eyes, but refusing to do so with her mouth. “I can make this so much harder for you miko,” he warned. “Beg.” His fingers rubbed against that spot inside her and she moaned in frustration, arching into his hand. But just that one bit of friction wasn’t enough to send her over, just enough to drive her insane.

“Kami, please! Sesshoumaru please!” she whined, finally giving in. He flashed her a smirk, finally breaking that cool facade, and rewarded her with a head-spinning kiss. His thumb began the circles around her clit again and his fingers picked up the pace. His hand clenched around her throat, not enough to cut off her air. And she shattered against him. He devoured her cries as she came, inner muscles squeezing against his fingers in pulsing waves as her head soared. It felt _phenomenal_. No wonder people were obsessed with sex.

As she started coming down, she noted he’d moved off her slightly to strip himself, once again taking advantage of his youkai speed to undress quickly before moving back on top of her. She eagerly spread her legs for him and wrapped them around his waist. He grasped his cock and carefully eased it into her, a moan leaving her as she stretched to accommodate him.

He started with slow and shallow thrusts, only allowing himself to move in inch by inch. It didn’t hurt as much as she thought it would, but then again… She did have the prior knowledge that she needed to keep herself relaxed. He finally reached her barrier and he paused, breathing heavily, allowing her to adjust to his size. She panted with him and he lowered his head to press his forehead against hers.

“You feel amazing,” he gasped out. “I can barely keep myself from just thrusting all the way in.” She licked her lips at his admission, somehow getting wetter at the thought. Her muscles clenched around him, causing him to groan. He carefully eased himself forward, pushing past her barrier. She only winced slightly before relaxing. They both knew what they were doing. Then he was finally, _finally_ , buried into her all the way. He stopped again, his hips pressed against hers. She forced herself to remain still while he attempted to reign in his baser urges. “When I start to move again, I will not be going slow and gentle. Remember the word if you need to snap me out of it.” She gave him a nod. Then he began to move.

It was almost a surreal change as his eyes flashed to red and he snarled down at her. He lifted himself up and gripped her hips tightly, pulling out before slamming back in. She cried out and tightened her legs around his waist as he gave hard and fast thrusts into her.

“Yes! Yes!” she screamed for him, knowing that it would please him. And by the gods, she wanted to please him. “More!” He panted as he moved, his claws biting into her skin. The pain only seemed to turn her on more and she raised her hips, doing her best to meet him thrust for thrust. He seemed to be helping her achieve this with his grip on her hips, using that wonderful strength to shove her back when he pulled out before yanking her forward as he shoved back in. His cock continued to rub against that wonderful spot inside her and she purposefully clenched her muscles against him, urging him to keep going. “Faster,” she begged. “Please Sesshoumaru, please give it to me.” He flashed her a wicked grin and leaned down to bite against her neck, the pleasure zipping straight to her core. It was like a switch had been flipped and she was coming around him. “ _Yes!_ ”

“ _Mine_ ,” he snarled, raising his head. She nodded in agreement.

“Yes, _yours_. Fuck, I’m all yours. All of me,” she promised, her head slamming back against the earth. She rose her hands up to rest above her head, her breasts rising with the action. One of his hands left her hip and enclosed around a breast, squeezing it tightly. She moaned and closed her eyes before his claws pinched at her nipple in retribution. She snapped her eyes back open and stared into his, her lip catching between her teeth as he continued to pound into her. His claws released her nipple and he continued to molest her breast, squeezing it and rubbing it. Her eyes pleaded with him. His portrayed how little he cared for her pleas. And why was that so hot to her?

He suddenly changed the angling of his thrusts without warning and she immediately came apart underneath him once more, screaming her pleasure out for the world to hear. Her reiki seemed to respond to that as it soared up through him to tangle around his body, stroking along every inch of him. It seemed to be the right click for him. He gave one final thrust, burying himself as deep into her as he possibly could before he exploded. She could feel him twitching inside her as he released himself deep within her. She gasped for breath, trying to get enough oxygen. Then he was releasing her hips and rolling her over to lay on top of him, keeping himself inside her.

“Shouldn’t we get cleaned up?” she asked almost lazily, slowly coming down from the wonderful high of sex. His eyes started to clear as he regained control over his bestial side and he gave her a snort.

“Why bother?” he replied, hands moving down to grip her ass tightly. “After some sleep, I’m going to wake you up just like this.” He gave her a slight thrust, causing her to gasp slightly. She smirked and gave his lip a nip.

“Oh, so you’re going to fuck me in my sleep,” she teased. He smirked.

“You better tell me right now if you’re okay with that or not.” She scraped her nails down his chest before planting a kiss against his jaw.

“I’m willing to try it out,” she muttered, exhaustion slowly catching up to her. She frowned slightly. “When were we supposed to be leaving anyway?” They did have a mission to complete.

“Yesterday, while you were passed out. I told the others I’d watch over you until you woke up and then we’d catch up,” he replied smoothly. “Trust me, I could fuck you for a week straight and we’d still catch up to them in time. They’re walking.”

“Good. Then for the next day at least, all I want is to learn your body.”

“Careful what you wish for little miko. By the time I’m done with you, walking will prove to be a challenge.” She bared her teeth at him.

“Good.”

~ ~ ~

_I settled in my restraints, a feeling of immense relaxation overtaking me. The ropes held me aloft about three feet off the ground. Sango watched with a careful eye as Kouga finished the last of the knots and stepped back._

“ _Well done,” she praised him. “Don’t forget to—”_

“ _Double-check the tightness,” he interrupted with a grin. “Don’t worry, I remember.” His hands moved along my body, two fingers sliding under the ropes to check them. Then his hands were smoothing over my head, lips coming down to brush against my cheek. “Where you at Kitten?” His voice was soft and gentle. I gave a dreamy smile._

“ _Very, very green Sir,” I replied. He chuckled and stroked his thumb just under my jaw before grasping my arm and giving me a slow spin. I giggled as I spun, feeling like an artwork on display._

“ _Beautiful.”_

_I was curled up on the couch, watching something on TV when Kouga came home from work. He seemed tired and stressed out as he yanked his tie free, chucking it onto the coat rack. Must’ve been a bad day._

“ _That bad?” I asked, concerned. He nodded and fell back onto the couch, pinching the bridge of his nose._

“ _Can you get me a cup of coffee? And a massage would also be nice,” he requested. I nodded and got off the couch, making my way into the kitchen. Once there, I paused. Kouga was stressed. He needed to relax. I tried to curb my brattiness,_ _but… He needed to relax. What better way than to beat upon a little brat for a bit?_

_I walked back into the living room and placed the cup of coffee on the side table, moving my hands across his shoulders and rubbing out the tension. He groaned in satisfaction before reaching for the cup and lifting it._

“ _Are you fucking serious?” he asked, jerking away from my hands. My face wanted to frown, but I instead gave him the sweetest of smiles._

“ _Sir asked for a cup of coffee,” I replied, trying to ignore the frustration in his eyes._

“ _Can you not shut off the brat for five goddamn minutes?” he demanded, placing the cup filled with coffee beans down with a thump. “I’m tired. I’m stressed. I just wanted a cup of fucking coffee and a massage from my girlfriend.” My body stiffened with anger at his tone and I dropped the teasing smile._

“ _I’m sorry my personality has offended you so,” I snapped at him, shaking my head. “I come home stressed and tired, this leads to D/s play in order to help me relax and get my mind off the day. You come home stressed and tired, I attempt to lead it into D/s play in order to help you relax and get your mind off the day and that makes me the enemy?” I demanded, placing my hands on my hips._

“ _You don’t even have to do anything when we play. You just lay there. I’m the one that has to figure everything out surrounding a scene,” he countered. “Babe, I love it when you brat. In a scene. Outside of that, I just want a normal girlfriend.” I deflated._

“ _I’m sorry,” I said softly. “But I can’t be that normal girlfriend. D/s bleeds into my everyday life whether I want it to or not.”_ _He rubbed the back of his neck as we considered each other._

“ _We really aren’t as compatible as we thought we were, are we?”_

_I gave a shrug at that, sighing. “I suppose not.” We both stood there awkwardly before I took the initiative and walked around the couch to give him a hug. “You know, I think one day we’ll both find that partner that is exactly what we want and need. It just isn’t each other.” He hugged me back and groaned._

“ _Can’t I just tweak your programming?” he joked, tugging on my hair. I laughed and shoved him back._

“ _Nope. My creator has some hardcore security measures in place,” I replied with a grin. “Lasers shoot from my eyes if you try and hack into my mainframe.”_

“ _Lasers? Sexy.” He gave me a returning grin and kissed my nose before glancing around. “Well, at least we figured it out sooner rather than later?” I blinked._

“ _A year of constant arguing outside of the bedroom is sooner for you?”_

“ _Better than ten years of constant arguing outside the bedroom.”_

“ _Fair point.”_

_I accepted my drink from Kagura, watching her lean her weight against the bar as she eyed me._

“ _So you and Kouga broke up finally?” she asked. I rose a brow at her before sipping my drink._

“ _Finally?”_

“ _Woman, you’ve been bitching about how frustrating it is that he doesn’t like D/s bleeding into normal life for the past year now. It was about time. You guys are great together. In a scene. Whenever I see you guys out in the real world, it’s like you guys tiptoe around each other. I could see this coming from a mile away.” I gave a shrug._

“ _Yeah, we broke up. It wasn’t a nasty breakup at least and we’re still friends.”_

“ _And occasional play partners,” she added._

“ _And occasional play partners. Though, we both agreed to take a break from playing with each other._ _Give the other a chance to branch out to new people.”_

“ _Smart. So who are you going to play with tonight? Hojo is free.” She winked at me. I giggled._

“ _Hm, Hojo would be fun. But maybe someone new?”_

“ _You should be a Domme,” she complained. “Then I’d be able to keep you for myself.” I laughed at that, shaking my head at her._

“ _Ditto for you.” She giggled and my phone went off, the caller ID showing it as Kikyou. I held my finger up to Kagura and answered the phone._

“ _Hey Kikyou,” I greeted. “What’s up?”_

“ _Mother was recently in a bad car accident…”_

Kagome opened her eyes and shook off the dream, a shiver racing through her. Sesshoumaru’s eyes tightened around her and she was looking up into concerned amber eyes.

“You were tossing in your sleep,” he told her. She gave him a smile and shrugged.

“Just dreaming of a memory,” she told him. “Back when Kouga and I were together and our eventual break-up.” She suddenly blinked. “I-I mean when Kitten and Kouga were together.” That wasn’t right. Why was she acting as if she were Kitten? Different memories swarmed in her mind as she thought back. Yes, she could clearly remember the day she fell into the well… But she could also clearly remember the day she and Inuyasha ditched school to celebrate her fifteenth birthday. The first bit of delinquency they ever committed together. Why were her memories blending together with Kitten’s memories?

_Kitten? Are you there?_ Kagome called out in her mind, feeling worried.

‘ _I’m here,’_ Kitten replied, sounding hazy and further away.

_What’s going on?_

‘ _We’re merging, just like I told you. You’re starting to fully accept me. The same seems to be happening to Sesshoumaru. That, or that’s mine that is currently watching you.’_ Kagome shook herself out of her head to focus on Sesshoumaru. Kitten was right. The Sesshoumaru Kagome knew wouldn’t be looking at her with such clear emotion on his face, with that loving glint in his eye. Either they were merging like Kagome and Kitten were, or this was Kitten’s Sesshoumaru.

“A-are you still…” Kagome trailed off, not sure on how exactly to ask him. She didn’t want to insult him if he was merging with his other self. That was the end goal, right? If Kitten was right, then Kagome had nothing to fear. But if Kitten was right, then why did Kagome have to fight for some of her own memories while nearly all of Kitten’s seemed to happily come to her mind.

“Are you asking if I’m still the Sesshoumaru you have been having near-constant sex with for the past twenty hours?” he asked with a slight smirk. “Yes… And no.” He placed an arm under his head and leaned back, watching her carefully. “I believe we fully merged sometime around when I was first balls deep inside you. The merge started about when you asked me to take your virginity. He and I are fully one and no longer two.” His eyes dragged over her face in a way that made her feel as though she could hide nothing from him. “You’ve started the process, but haven’t completed it. You’re fighting it. Why?” Kagome jerked in shock.

“I’m not fighting it,” she argued, guilt trickling in her chest unbidden.

“Ah, you’re scared.” He nodded. “You’re scared of essentially dying.” _How can he read me so easily?_ She shifted in his grasp, not wanting to leave him but also not wanting to be judged. He bent his head down and claimed her lips easily, all thoughts on merging leaving her mind as she became hyper-focused on him. He was all that mattered. His lips. His body. His cock, which was still firmly inside her.

She gasped into his mouth as he rolled his hips, her vaginal muscles tightening around him. He carefully sat up slightly, hands moving down to grasp her hips. He lifted her up slightly and slammed his hips upwards, a cry leaving her lips as he did so. Her hands grasped his shoulders for support and she clung to him. He didn’t waste time teasing her, just angled his dick in just the right way to rub against her g-spot and thrust into her hard and fast. It didn’t take her long to orgasm, her nails biting into his shoulders as he muffled her screams of pleasure with his mouth. He continued pounding into her, seemingly not satisfied with just the single orgasm. His lips left hers and her head fell back, exposing her neck to him. He growled in appreciation and closed his mouth on her neck. Her eyes rolled back. His fangs bit down. Another orgasm raced through her…

A zap hit her as she felt another youkai’s presence racing toward them.

“S-someone’s coming,” she gasped, groaning as he ignored her. Sesshoumaru’s youki slammed out of him and placed them in a barrier, allowing no one to enter. The barrier also did not allow for any to see, hear, or scent anything going on inside said barrier.

“They can wait,” he snarled against her neck. He pulled himself out of her and adjusted her position, placing her on all fours with him behind her. His cock slammed back into her, causing her to cry out in satisfaction at the position. Her hands curled into fists as she panted. This position allowed him a much deeper penetration, which he used to his advantage.

“Fuck,” she swore, her head bowing down as her arms shook. Her reiki swirled around in her chest before reaching out and twisting around his youki. He groaned in appreciation, a clawed hand sliding up her back before grasping a fistful of her hair and yanking her head back. The other youkai was just outside the barrier, trying to find a way in. Sesshoumaru leaned down, licking her shoulder before biting at her earlobe.

“I could adjust the barrier,” he whispered to her, not pausing in his thrusts. “Make it so that annoyingly curious demon could see what is happening right now. See you being taken.” She moaned at the exciting thought, even as a flush spread across her face. “Would you like that little miko?”

“N-no,” she forced out.

“This one knows you’re lying. In fact, that squeezing you’re giving my cock tells me exactly how much you’d like for that youkai to be witness to this.” He tsked, tugging back on her hair. “Maybe I should do just that, in return for your lies.”

“N-no! Please, no,” she begged, rolling her hips back against him.

“Such a pretty little plea.” His free hand—which had been braced against the ground to support him as he pounded into her—shifted to curl his fingers around hers. “As a reward for gifting me with such a pretty plea, I’ll keep it as is. Thank me little miko.” She couldn’t find it in herself to talk back, not when that youkai was randomly slamming against the barrier to test its strength.

“Thank you, thank you so much.” He hummed in appreciation before growling as the youkai slammed against the barrier again. Her reiki reached out and supported his youki—not that it needed help, Sesshoumaru was plenty powerful enough to keep the demon out—zapping the youkai as it went to slam into the barrier again. And that was enough for Sesshoumaru. He slammed into her one last time before emptying himself into her. The two seemed to almost collapse as one.

Sesshoumaru laid on his side, pulling Kagome back against his chest as they lay together on top of mokomoko. His arm was enclosed tightly around her waist—keeping her secure against his chest—with his cock _still_ firmly inside her. His youki twisted, allowing for the demon outside the barrier to hear them and for them to hear the demon.

“Leave,” Sesshoumaru snapped out.

“Sesshoumaru?” the demon questioned. “Is Kagome in there? This is her reiki.”

“Kouga?” Kagome asked, blinking in surprise.

“Kagome! What are you doing with the dog’s brother?” Sesshoumaru growled lowly, arm tightening around her waist.

“I’m fine, what are you doing here?” she demanded.

“I’m here to help you of course! I caught your scent in the nearby forest and it smelled of distress, so I followed it here! What the fuck are you doing?”

“None of your business. I’m fine! Now fuck off.”

“Did you just curse…?” _Goddamn merging shit._

“I curse sometimes!”

“No. You don’t.”

“I’m not going to allow the wolf to make me move an inch,” Sesshoumaru growled lowly in her ear. “But I do know that you _and_ Kitten had some questions for him regarding his tattoo and how much he knows about the current situation. Either he can come back, or I can cover you as much as possible and allow him to see inside. It is up to you.”

“He can come back later,” she replied quickly. She was not in _any_ state to be questioning Kouga about his tattoo. She probably looked like she’d been ravaged for the past twenty hours, which she had been. She raised her voice. “Kouga, I’m fine. I don’t need help. Can you come back later? I’m really tired right now.”

“Give me proof that you’re alright,” he countered.

“Goddamn _taxes_!” she shouted at him. She could sense him still immediately. “That’s right! I said my safeword! And it was towards you! Now _please_ fuck off for about ten hours until I can demand answers from you in a reasonable state!”

“I’ll be back,” he consented. “But I’ve got some fucking questions for you too.” Then, he was gone. His youki faded off until she couldn’t sense him anymore. She thumped her head back against Sesshoumaru’s chest.

“I’m going to need some clothes,” she groaned. He only chuckled in response. Dick.

~ ~ ~

Sesshoumaru’s fingers deftly finished tying the obi sash around her waist, keeping his outer kimono shirt secure against her body. It was a weird catch-22 moment. She couldn’t just send Sesshoumaru back to the village to get her clothes because it was too far for his youki to be able to keep the barrier in place, and they didn’t know when Kouga would be coming back. And she couldn’t very well just walk around naked. So the simplest solution was to wear Sesshoumaru’s outer kimono like a short dress with his obi keeping it in place.

It _probably_ wouldn’t have come to this, if not for the fact that Sesshoumaru was absolutely insatiable. Apparently, fully merging with himself caused his beast to get a little excited. And his bestial side viewed Kagome as his mate. This caused Sesshoumaru to be driven with the single instinct of marking, claiming, and impregnating his mate. Sesshoumaru explained that was the reason his cock had never fully left her vagina since they first had sex.

“It is a bit confusing,” he had admitted. “I never had to worry about this before because my beast was always smothered down with the watch or pills. And while I do know how to control my bestial nature, the other me was not as adept. Younger me was very skilled in hiding my emotions from my face, true, but I was not as skilled at actually controlling them in a meaningful way. I mostly just refused to acknowledge the emotions I didn’t like.” He’d shook his head then and gave Kagome a slight smile that caused her heart to skip a couple of beats. “Sometimes I have to remind myself that you have not consented to any of this and I can’t just take you as mine.”

Kagome was mostly just grateful that she’d been up to date on her birth control pills.

But all in all, they had spent a solid eight hours going between short naps and sex before either of them truly managed to agree that they should probably get up before Kouga came back. And Kagome would be the first to deny that it was Sesshoumaru who came to his senses first. Even if it _was_ the truth.

“I think I’m decent enough now,” Kagome announced, smoothly her hands over the silk. Sesshoumaru stared at her with hunger in his eyes but nodded.

“Hn.” He dropped the barrier. As they waited for Kouga to return, Sesshoumaru shot Kagome a sly smirk. “You know, the first time my beast roused enough for me to feel it while I wore the watch was when I saw you in Sinful Desires.”

“W-what?” Kagome squeaked, thinking back on that. It was definitely getting much easier to access Kitten’s memories. Most of the memory was a bit hazy while she was on the cross, mostly due to her swimming in subspace, but she did remember all those eyes on her. Even with the mask covering her face, she felt as though each person in the audience could see into her very soul.

“My beast managed to claw its way to the surface and I had to leave early to calm myself down,” he admitted, running his claws through her hair. “I thought it was mere coincidence. Until I saw you at that party three years later.”

“That’s why you came to the bar to talk to me?”

“Hn.” He brushed his lips across her jaw, causing her to rub her thighs together. “I thought I was losing it in some capacity until I saw your tattoo and made the connection. My instincts were howling for you since day one.”

“And what are your instincts howling for now?” she questioned, tipping her head back for him.

“Still just you.”

She jerked as she felt Kouga’s presence approaching and tried to calm herself down. Her fingers brushed through her hair rapidly before her hand seemed to automatically fall to clasp Sesshoumaru’s hand. He seemed pleased.

Then finally, Kouga was before them. And memories seemed to come back in an instant as she stared at him. Her head ached, but she didn’t fight the memories. She just let them come in. The moment she and Kouga met: _He bought me a drink and asked to play._ Their first date: _He took me to a restaurant and we saw a movie afterward._ When they decided to commit to an exclusive relationship: _It was in the park at night._ When they moved in together: _They discussed it over coffee._ Their first fight: _Kouga refused to do any house chores and simply just wanted to pay a cleaning service to have it done._ Their final break-up: _They agreed they didn’t work outside of D/s dynamics._ The last time she saw him: _She gave him a hug as s_ _he left the club that night._ Their promise: _“Friends. That’s all, but that’s enough.”_

“You remember everything, don’t you?” she asked softly. He stood there, his black hair tied up, wearing those clothes of the wolf demon tribe. He looked almost ashamed of himself. But he nodded, fingers brushing against his wolf tattoo. “Why didn’t you ever tell me?!” She sucked in a breath. “You saw me a full week after the world was reset and yet you said _nothing_. You acted like the Kouga from this world! You… Why?!”

“Because you didn’t,” he growled. He shook his head. “I woke up here. At first, I thought I had somehow gone back in time, but I had these memories that weren’t right. I started to believe those memories. Until I saw this.” He gestured to his side. “Then everything conflicted. I knew how this Kouga was supposed to act because of the partial memories, but when I tried to explain things to the others… They grabbed their heads like they were in pain! Every time one of them saw my tattoo, it just caused them pain. So I hid it. And when I saw you and it was clear you didn’t remember… I didn’t want to cause you pain. So I did some digging of my own.”

“What kind of digging?” Sesshoumaru asked, cocking his head to the side.

“Well, back when I was around during this time, there wasn’t any Shikon Jewel or nothin’ like that. So that tipped me off that something was up with it. Hell, these ‘shards’ in my legs aren’t jewel shards or anything like that. They’re bits of youki from dead demons that have been crystallized.” He kicked his legs slightly. Kagome’s jaw dropped. _That’s why I can sense the shards. Because they’re just demon youki._

‘ _But because they are deceased, not living youki, it would take an extremely powerful miko to sense them. Say, one who has trained all her life in the art of reiki.’_

“I did my research, as best I could with my limited resources. Then one night, I felt a sliver of reiki reach out to me.” He shook his head. “It was bizarre. It was Kikyou, but not the clay doll walking around. This was one shed in pink light, almost see-through. She said Kagome needed help and she explained what she could to me. She begged me to tell you not to worry about saving her, to just be rid of the jewel if you could. If not, just safeguard it as you were meant to.”

‘ _No…’_

“Prove that it was Higurashi Kikyou,” Kagome demanded, feeling an ache in her chest.

He met her gaze head-on. “She said you’d demand that. So her proof was, ‘This isn’t what I wanted, but it’s what I asked for. I chose fear over all my morals. May the Inu Kami guide us both.’”

It was almost in sync, the crushing feeling that both Kagome and Kitten felt at once. Kikyou had given up. If not even Kikyou believed Kagome could fix this… If she didn’t have faith in her younger sister to save her…

“She can take her advice and shove it,” Kagome and Kitten snarled as one. They gripped Sesshoumaru’s hand like a lifeline. Kouga blinked. “Her misguided decision got us into this mess. So I’m going to be the one to free us!”

A swirl of blue light overtook the woman as the words left her lips. And Kagome finally, _finally_ , truly accepted Kitten as part of herself.

~ ~ ~

“Any day now!” Inuyasha snarled as he dodged another tentacle from Naraku. The spider hanyou was a complete mess. Somehow, they had actually managed to beat Kagome and Sesshoumaru to Naraku. So they went with plan B, showing off Miroku’s tattoo and lack of a wind tunnel. It had almost the right effect. Naraku had clutched at his skull as memories surged forth. He had lifted his head, a look of pure horror on his face as he saw Miroku.

“What have I done…?” he’d asked in the most broken voice Inuyasha had ever heard. Then this Naraku took over once more. “No! I refuse to fall for one of your schemes!”

Now the hanyou was lashing out at random, stuck in a battle against himself.

“Naraku, please! You have to be strong!” Miroku shouted.

“Show him your memories! Shove him in one!” Inuyasha suggested.

“Fight!” Kagura supplied.

“Remember that time you showed me how to make a rose with needle play?” Sango demanded. Speaking of Sango, the slayer was having a hard time as well. She kept flickering between young Sango and older Sango, the younger one having to take over to avoid being harmed and the older one taking over to try and remind Naraku of the memories.

“I won’t accept it!” Naraku snarled.

“Yes, you will.” Inuyasha jerked his head up to see Kagome standing next to Sesshoumaru and Kouga. _Why is that wolf here?_ Kagome spread her hands out, a look of determination on her face. “Wish upon the jewel Naraku. You know it’s completed. So make a wish.”

“What trickery is this?” Naraku demanded, shoving a tentacle at Kagome. She waved a hand in the air, her reiki slashing it to pieces before it even got close. She left Sesshoumaru’s side and began to walk over to Naraku.

“There is no trickery here,” she said calmly. “You do not wish upon the jewel because you cannot. It is _mine_. It is in my possession still, even if you hold it. Only I may wish upon it.” Her hands moved quickly, and that was when Inuyasha noticed the small knives in her hands. He blinked at her genius. She couldn’t use her reiki to attack at full power without the assistance of a weapon. So she held knives to be her weapons, allowing her to unleash her reiki in swift and precise strikes. She continued moving until she stood right in front of Naraku. “Wish upon the jewel if you dare.”

“I wish for absolute power!” he shouted in her face. She stared back at him before dropping her knives and raising her hands to either side of his face. Her hands glowed in a soft blue light and her expression softened.

“My darling Naraku.” Her voice was soft and gentle. “Why would it twist you in such a way?” Her light entered Naraku. And he froze as his eyes unfocused. The jewel—fully intact despite the shards in Kouga’s legs—fell from his hands and rolled against the ground. Inuyasha scooped it up. _Might as well double-check._

“I wish to become a full demon!” he shouted. Nothing happened.

‘ _Keh, told ya.’_

_I suppose there could be worse people to accept as me…_

~ ~ ~

“I wish to become a full demon!” Inuyasha shouted. Sango sighed as nothing happened. _I can finally let go of my pain… Can’t I?_

‘ _It’s alright my dear. I can carry that pain for you.’_

_No, we carry it together._

~ ~ ~

“I wish for absolute power!” Naraku shouted. Miroku smiled as nothing changed on the battlefield.

_But my Sango?_

‘ _I hate to break it to you, but we’re not the one person type.’_

_Don’t you mean one woman?_

‘ _You’re going to love the twenty-first century…’_

~ ~ ~

“I wish for absolute power!” Naraku shouted in Kagome’s face.

“My darling Naraku.” Her voice was soft and gentle. “Why would it twist you in such a way?” Her reiki entered Naraku. And she showed him the truth. All of it. From both her side and his, so he could truly see himself and what he had to gain… And lose.

They swam together through their memories, laughing and crying at the antics. After surpassing the memories they shared together, Kagome urged her reiki to unleash the memories of after she left. And they shared in those together as well. When he first met Miroku, how nervous he’d been. Miroku was a Dom who liked to play with multiple partners, and Naraku was crazy about the man. They played together often, mainly one on one, but sometimes with others. Naraku was one of the two subs that Miroku had collared, another woman named Sasha being their third. The three were crazy about each other. Miroku often enjoyed watching Naraku and Sasha partake in needle play. Sasha adored Naraku’s adopted strays. They talked about starting up a shelter for the pets. Naraku had proposed to Sasha the night everything went wrong. Sasha said yes…

“I don’t want to live in darkness anymore…” Naraku said softly inside his mind. Kagome gave him a smile and extended her hand.

“Then join us back in the light where you belong, old friend.” He took her hand.

~ ~ ~

Miroku held Naraku close in front of the campfire as the hanyou cried against his chest, managing to force out apologies between sobs. Miroku continued to hush him and smooth his hair back, his expression clearly daring anyone to hold a grudge against the other man. Kagura was leaning against Sango with a peaceful expression on her face, enjoying the closeness with her beloved Domme of choice.

Kagome rolled the jewel between her hands, trying to figure out the right wish. She ignored the temptation to simply wish for her sister back. That would just make matters worse. Everyone was counting on her to do this right. And she was going to do it right, she had to.

“Why not just wish for it to right the wrongs it did before disappearing forever?” Rin asked, curled up next to Shippo. _Is it really that simple?_

“Or you could wish for it to undo the previous wish before going away,” Shippo chipped in. Kagome still hesitated. _If I wish like that, and it works… Grandpa and Mom will go away. They’ll be dead again… And Sota goes back to hating me…_

“Selfless,” Sesshoumaru reminded her. His gaze gentled as he tucked her hair behind her ear. “In order to make this perfect wish, you have to lose something in return.” He glanced up to the sky and gave a slight smile. “I remember something from years ago… There was a young boy visiting an abandoned shrine with his father deep in the forest. These people often came to the shrine, though I didn’t know who they were. It was my hunting ground for when I needed to feast in my true form. I was certain they’d only caught spare glimpses of me. But they had begun to leave me offerings, and who was I to refuse?

“On this day, the people were leaving the offerings when another youkai attacked them. I felt insulted. These were humans who were leaving me offerings for protection, I considered their dedication after so many years worthy of my protection. And this lesser youkai thought of them as simple prey? The father was hurt badly and the boy was cowering in a corner with his bow. The other youkai attacked and I defended the boy. I killed the youkai before turning to the boy, who had dropped his bow in fear. So I picked it up and gave it back to him.

“That young boy continued to visit the shrine, even after I had long since left those hunting grounds. When I moved back to Japan from Chicago, the first thing I did was visit the shrine. His scent had all but faded with time, but I could tell someone else had been there continuing in his stead.” He gave a slight shrug. “I suppose it is possible that young boy could have been—”

“Grandpa,” Kagome gasped. She reached around to touch her tattoo, giving a slight laugh. “It was his annual tradition to visit the Lost Shrine and leave offerings to the Inu Kami for protection.” She wiped at her eyes and gave Sesshoumaru a dazzling smile. “So you are the Higurashi guardian. The Inu Kami.”

“I believe Inu Youkai would be more accurate,” he replied with a smirk. “Protect yourself before allowing others to protect you.”

_I love you, Grandpa. I love you, Mom. I miss you… But I am strong enough to survive._

“I wish for the previous wish to be undone in its entirety before the Shikon Jewel is to disappear from all worlds forever, never to return.”

~ ~ ~

**Five Years Later**

Kagome and Sesshoumaru walked into the house, hand-in-hand. Kikyou glanced up from her laptop, a brilliant smile on her face.

“Hey! How was the flight?” she asked, moving over to give them both a hug.

“Exhausting,” Kagome replied, shooting a glare to her little bundle of terror. The spunky little hanyou gave her mother a cheeky grin, her black hair in pigtails and her amber eyes gleaming with mischief. “Asako, why not go play with your cousins?” The chipper four-year-old clapped her hands together and raced off through the house in search of Kikyou’s twin angels.

“They’re going to cause trouble,” Sesshoumaru pointed out.

“Keh. They can’t make too big of a mess!” Inuyasha boasted. “Everything has been child-proofed.” Kikyou rolled her eyes at that before laughing.

“Inuyasha, I still think you went overboard. I swear half of those childproof locks are more adult proof than childproof.” She waved a hand. “Did you know I discovered Hanna with a bottle of carpet cleaner the other day? I have no idea how she managed to get the cabinet open when it takes me five minutes just to figure out how the lock works!”

“We had to move all cleaning supplies up high,” Kagome said with a weary grin. “The cabinets within toddler reach are completely empty at this point.”

“Keh. Enough of child talk, when is everyone else gonna get here?” Inuyasha demanded. “The celebration waits for no man!”

“They’ll be here shortly,” Sesshoumaru said. “Sasha and Naraku were a bit paranoid about flying with Sasha being pregnant. Apparently, she had a panic attack on the flight over and Miroku had to talk her down.”

“Sango, Hojo, Garret, and Kagura should be arriving any moment now. Their flight landed not long after ours did. What about Jaken, Shippo, and Rin?”

“Those three are already here. Jaken stepped out to get some groceries for the hot pot. Rin and Shippo are probably making out in the well house.” Kikyou rolled her eyes. “I swear, the two can’t keep their hands off each other.”

“They’re barely eighteen,” Kagome pointed out with a laugh. She shook her head. Rin was Jaken’s adopted daughter, who knew? And Shippo was her best friend in school. Who turned into more than her best friend. And now Jaken casually threatened murder against the kitsune should he even entertain the idea of breaking his daughter’s heart. The toad could be quite scary when he wanted to be.

“Is Kouga coming this year?” Inuyasha asked. “He couldn’t come last year because of work, right? But the asshole should have no excuse for this year!”

Kagome nodded. “He’s in Japan already, but he and his new girlfriend wanted to break in the hotel room before showing up.” She snickered. “Apparently, Rachel needed to test the bedsprings.”

“Well, a quick toast before we all converge!” Kikyou said, pouring everyone a glass of wine. Her eyes shone with pride as she handed Kagome her glass. “To the miko who fixed the world and rid us of the jewel… The strongest of us all.”

“To the Inu Kami tattoo who reminded me of who I was,” Kagome countered, grinning as she drank.

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was definitely a wild ride. Honestly, I could've extended it further, but I didn't want to drag it out. So I wrapped it up nice and neat with a little bow on top. Everyone has their place in the "Real" world and everyone is returned to that place.  
> In case it wasn't quite clear, they all still remember their time during the world reset - which is why they have the celebration every year.  
> I was originally going to have Kagome merge with herself alongside everyone else when facing against Naraku, but that didn't feel significant enough. Her moment needed to be HER moment. This is also why she didn't merge when Sesshoumaru did. And in the end, it was her sister who gave her the final push. Her determination to save Kikyou, no matter the cost.  
> Though, honestly, Kouga incited my rage. I didn't know what to DO with him. I wanted to use him SOMEWHERE but he HAD to be a dick and be complicated. I often considered having him stumble upon Sesshy and Kagome having sex so Sesshy could obliterate him, but that didn't work with my Sesshy T_T So he became plot device. Sorry, not sorry? That aside... How'd you guys like my 'modern' version of Jaken ;)
> 
> Either which way, this was so much fun to write and I hope you guys enjoyed it! ♥


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